HCA 675 Discussion Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning for Disasters in a Hospital
HCA 675 Discussion Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning for Disasters in a Hospital
HCA 675 Discussion Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning for Disasters in a Hospital
Disaster preparedness and readiness are some of the key concerns that hospital administrators have to take into account. In the event of an occurrence, a balance between the protection of patients and the delivery of care must be consolidated to guarantee quality health services (Sherman & Wedge, 2015). In the present case scenario of an explosion, the information conveyed about the incidence remains scanty, conflicting and not confirmed to warrant a formidable change in the current care facility. However, due to the nature of the occurrence of the disaster, thoughts can be made on the possibility of traumatic injuries (Balazs et al., 2015). The premise is predicated on the context that the victims sustain injuries from debris of the factory or during a stampede as they sought help. As such, the initial response at the Emergency Department of the facility will focus on providing immediate care to trauma patients. The facility will mobilize resources in readiness for the casualties until reliable and credible information from the site is reported.
Information about the site of the explosion and the potential number of casualties will be key in guiding decisions at the care facility. Guided by this argument, all the necessary reports will be singled sourced from the incident commander of the response team. Alternatively, if there is no Incident Command System, then reliable and accurate information about the incident can be obtained from the police reports at the time of the incident (Falcone & Detty, 2015). A clear protocol of communication will be adhered to in a bid to ensure that the reports given are clear and accurate. Besides, the hospital staff will be sensitized against receiving misleading and conflicting information from unauthenticated sources.
Response to the aforementioned case will depend on the clear networks of information at the scene. To achieve this, the Emergency Operations Plan at the facility and the Incidence Command System at the site of the disaster will be activated (Steiner, 2017). For this to happen, radio systems will be procured and installed at the site of the disaster as well as in the care facility. Emergency call numbers will also be availed to receive alert information about the patient cases from the site of the disaster. The approach will allow the emergence department to determine the number of emergent, urgent and non-urgent cases from the scene of the explosion (Mair, Ritchie & Walters, 2016). The premise will guide in the prioritization of care and manage resources at the facility. Nonetheless, the blood bank at the care facility will as well be alerted so that they prepare for an increased volume of blood that will be needed to stabilize the cases presented.
Considering the magnitude of the trauma cases, there is a possibility of disruption of the normal function at the care facility. However, in order to minimize these disruptions, many patients, especially those with minor injuries, will be cleared from the emergency department (Sherman & Wedge, 2015). Besides, patients who are stable and can receive home care will be discharged from the facility to decongest the in-patient units. Within the facility, the trauma teams will be alerted about the numbers of patients expected, the time for their admissions and the extent of the injuries sustained (Balazs et al., 2015). Moreover, prior to admissions of the patients, the number of staff present at the facility to manage the case will be determined in a bid to optimize quality care to the victims. Besides, monitoring the available resources at the facility will be crucial as it helps to find a balance between the health staff and the rates of supplies required for treating the cases presented (Falcone & Detty, 2015). In order to minimize disruption at the facility, it will be imperative to give priority to the cases from the event so that their conditions are stabilized and those with minor injuries to be discharged.
References
Balazs, G. C., Blais, M. B., Bluman, E. M., Andersen, R. C., & Potter, B. K. (2015). Blurred front lines: triage and initial management of blast injuries. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 8(3), 304-311.DOI: 10.1007/s12178-015-9288-5.
Falcone, R. E., & Detty, A. (2015). Natural disasters: Hospital management. Emergency Medicine Reports, 36(23).
Mair, J., Ritchie, B. W., & Walters, G. (2016). Towards a research agenda for post-disaster and post-crisis recovery strategies for tourist destinations: A narrative review. Current Issues in Tourism, 19(1), 1-26.
Sherman, C., & Wedge, D. (2015). Boston Strong: A City’s Triumph Over Tragedy. ForeEdge from University Press of New England.
Steiner, N. (2017). Medical Management of Disasters and Mass Casualties from Terrorist Bombings: How can we cope? Management in Health, 21(3).
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Disaster preparedness is a huge deal for health care centers providing emergency services. There must be plans in place for large disasters and small. Partnerships with community and state emergency services are important when designing and implementing a disaster preparedness program. The standard is for, “hospitals to establish strategies for the management of safety and security during an emergency” (“Managing security,” 2015, para. 3). For those who prepare health care organizations for emergencies, many scenarios need to be taken into consideration. Depending on the physical location and population demographics, hospital disaster plans may look very different. Hospitals in California will have responses to earthquakes, hospitals in Florida will have hurricane preparedness, and those in the plane states will have tornado preparedness. In addition to these kinds of natural disasters, local industries need to be taken into consideration as well. Factories that utilize chemicals, radiation, and combustible liquids can have accidents that require hospitals to respond. Hospitals must be prepared to receive patients who may have been exposed to specific chemicals, radiation, biohazards, and toxins (“Managing security,” 2015).
From the scenario described for this post, an explosion has occurred at a large factory and the hospital has been placed on high alert. In the event of a chaotic situation, rumors will begin to surface which causes confusion. It’s important to be careful with resources so that when casualties begin arriving, there is plenty of equipment to handle the situation. Local emergency responders and law enforcement will be good sources for information regarding details of numbers and types of injuries. Burns, chemical exposures, contaminants of other kinds, are important to be aware of when victims begin arriving in the emergency room. Nurses and physicians must be ready to handle the casualties without risking their own health and the health of everyone else in the hospital environment.
Depending on the hospital size and location, larger affiliated hospitals and transport services should be notified in case overflow occurs. Surgical staff and surgeons need to be aware of the situation and ready for the influx of patients. With an explosion come fragments of metal and other debris that will need to be removed and wounds cleaned of contaminants. Mending broken broken bones and other major surgeries will need to be performed. Finishing any surgeries in progress and suspending scheduled surgeries may be necessary to be prepared for the coming casualties.
A meeting with department leaders will be important at the beginning of this process to assess resources and people available that can respond to this disaster. Clear communication is necessary throughout the process. Issues and announcements should trickle down through the staff to help minimize rumors and false information. Frequent email updates from administration will be key to controlling this process.
As a leader of the health care facility, it is important to continue caring for the patients who are already in-house. That care will continue without interruption. Any pending discharges should quickly be processed to make beds available for new patients that may need them.
References
Managing security and safety during disasters. (2015). Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=111832630&site=ehost-live&scope=site
This is an elaborative discussion on the disaster preparedness. You have captured some of the important practices that need to be observed in order to keep up with the patient influx as a result of accidental explosion in the factory. From your perspective, it is true that partnering with the state emergency services and the community is essential when designing and implementing disaster preparedness program. However, the hospital also need to make internal arrangement so as to ensure minimal interference with the normal operational processes (Naser et al., 2018). Casualties from accidents are more likely to suffer from severe injuries and therefore intensive care systems is required. One of the best plan is to increase the number of nurses and other medical professionals to aid in the management of the increasing number of casualties. Disaster preparedness may be impacted by the rumors that arise from the public and other unauthorized sources of information. Disaster preparedness is a huge deal for health care centers providing emergency services (Naser et al., 2018).
There must be plans in place for large disasters and small. Partnerships with community and state emergency services are important when designing and implementing a disaster preparedness program. It is therefore necessary for hospital to consider acquiring information from authentic sources including disaster management organizations responsible for rescuing the situation (Naser et al., 2018). The information obtained will enhance the processes of preparation and the management of the situation with minimal interference with the normal operational processes. The process of preparing to handle disaster patients should involve preparing the health workers to tackle different situations that may emerge from the disaster including casualties. Also engaging different departments in the management of the patients will prove to be one of the best approach of ensuring the control of casualties in the hospitals.
Reference
Naser, W. N., Ingrassia, P. L., Aladhrae, S., & Abdulraheem, W. A. (2018). A Study of Hospital Disaster Preparedness in South Yemen. (Prehospital and disaster medicine.)