Based on the “Scenario-Response” Framework: Analysis of Community Scenario Elements in Sudden Major Respiratory Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Background In recent years, frequent outbreaks of major respiratory infectious diseases (such as Ebola and COVID-19) have posed severe threats to public health and social stability. As the fundamental unit and frontline of epidemic prevention and control, the response capability of communities directly impacts the overall effectiveness of outbreak containment. The extraction of scenario elements can fully analyze the composition and evolution of epidemic scenarios, while the traditional "prediction-response" paradigm often struggles to accurately match the complex and evolving epidemic situations. Therefore, introducing the “scenario-response” paradigm to deeply analyze key scenario elements in community-level epidemic evolution and construct effective response mechanisms has become an urgent imperative for enhancing precision prevention and control capabilities at the grassroots level and strengthening the first line of defense. Methods Based on the “scenario-response” paradigm, this study employed the grounded theory method to systematically review reports, documents, and cases related to sudden major respiratory infectious disease outbreaks, extracting community scenario elements. Results Through qualitative analysis of the initial coded data (yielding 211 concepts), a theoretical model of community scenario elements for sudden major respiratory infectious disease outbreaks in China was established, comprising 40 categories, 14 main categories, and 3 core categories (disaster-causing scenarios, disaster-bearing scenarios, disaster-resisting scenarios). Conclusion By analyzing community epidemic scenario elements from a situational perspective, this study further proposes response mechanisms for communities confronting sudden major respiratory infectious disease outbreaks, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for emergency decision-making.