Table 1.

A summary of the survey results on the challenges of practical use of PI models, as perceived by public health practitioners

Challenge	Description of the challenge
A1. Validity of data support	Model parameters need to be derived from updated demographical and epidemiological data
A2. Credibility and validity of assumptions	Models need to use credible and valid assumptions
A3. Represent human behavior	Models need to incorporate human behavior
A4. Accessibility	Models need to be easily accessible and run on personal computers
A5. Scalability	Models need to be scalable to population specific data from regions of all sizes
A6. Awareness	Available models and best practices need to be disseminated among the practitioners
A7. Action plan	Need to translate models into uniform preparedness and response action plans
A8. Lack of resources	Need to fund staff allocation and specialized training for model implementation
A9. Political implications	Models need to consider second and third tier social implications of containment strategies
A10. Lack of mandates for models	State and federal agencies need to develop mandates for use of model-based strategies