Table 1.

Criteria for selecting outbreaks for audit.

Criteria	Example/Details
Outbreak of local, state, national or international significance	Multi-state outbreaks Disease reported internationally Exotic/emerging diseases Highly virulent pathogens in terms of death/hospitalisation or high attack rate Tourist facilities National coordination required
Unusual outbreaks	Large outbreaks New epidemiological or laboratory methods Complex epidemiological investigations Special learning opportunities, eg rare pathogen or unusual mode of transmission
System issues	Timeliness of epidemiological, environmental or laboratory response Demonstrated failure of routine public health practice Perceived failure of health protection standards or protocols Inter-jurisdictional communication challenges Complex outbreak coordination Cultural differences between jurisdictions/agencies Stress among investigating team members
Legal or Administrative	Litigation or administrative review of decision making
Public/Media concern	A high degree of community concern about the outbreak. Confidentiality provisions should be considered.