As we mentioned in pt. 1, hospitals and medical centers deal with urgent situations every day, but their emergency preparedness capabilities are severely tested when there are mass casualties, due to a natural disaster or manmade catastrophe.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to the rescue. To help urgent care facilities prepare for mass health and casualty emergencies, the U.S. Dept. of H&HS has developed a hospital surge evaluation tool. It focuses on assisting emergency management, hospital administrators, and clinical personnel by gauging their preparedness and ability to manage an increased patient load. These areas are:
- Triaging patients throughout the facility, especially the emergency room
- Managing a hospital incident command center
- Making sure to have enough medical staff on hand
With the assistance of this U.S. Dept. of H&HS-sponsored tool, hospitals will be able to conduct a realistic exercise that comes close to simulating a full-scale disaster. From patient relocation, to securing space in the building, to ensuring effective communication within the hospital, this new evaluation tool will help hospital staff to effectively simulate patient care and coordination.
