Hospitals and Community Emergency Response: What You Need to Know


Book Description

Protecting healthcare workers who respond to emergencies involving hazardous substances is critical. Healthcare workers responding to emergencies may be exposed to chemical, biological, physical, or radioactive hazards. Hospitals providing emergency response services must be prepared to carry out their missions without jeopardizing the safety and health of their own and other employees. Of special concern are the situations where contaminated patients arrive at the hospital for triage (sorting) or definitive treatment following a major incident. Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. This informational booklet provides a general overview of a particular topic related to OSHA standards. It does not alter or determine compliance responsibilities in OSHA standards or the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA 3152-3R 2008







Hospital Emergency Response Teams


Book Description

Hospital Emergency Response Teams aims to provide authoritative training for hospital personnel in the emergency department, as well community-level medical service personnel, assisting them in times of disaster and emergency. Comprised of six chapters, the book covers various aspects of emergency response. Some of the aspects are the National Incident Management System (NIMS) implementation activities for hospitals and health care systems and the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) IV missions. The book also explains the implementation issues, requirements, and timelines in establishing an internal HICS IV program. It presents the assessment of likely mass casualty events and potential hospital impact. The book also features appendices for emergency response team checklists, PPE donning and doffing guide, ambulatory and non-ambulatory decontamination setup, ETA exercises, and ETA drills.The book is intended to provide understanding of emergency response to first emergency medicine professionals, first responders, security staff, community-level disaster planners, and public health and disaster management researchers. Common sense approach shows what really works, not what is theoretically achievable Forms, checklists, and guidelines can be used to develop concrete response plans, validate existing operations, or simply expand knowledge base The latest from OSHA, Joint Commission and NIMS (National Incident Management System) Cross-disciplinary author team ensures material is appropriate for all member of this important collaboration




Establishing a Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition


Book Description

In the event of a disaster or public health emergency, individual agencies and hospitals cannot always effectively act alone. In order to provide a collaborative, comprehensive system of planning and response a Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition (HERC) is needed. This book introduces the concept of a HERC and demonstrates why and how a HERC is among the most effective tools for health emergency response and preparedness. Establishing a Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition addresses all matters related to instituting and developing a successful HERC. This Guide is based on Palm Beach County's experiences during the formation and implementation of their tried and tested HERC_now a national model_and can serve to direct your community in establishing its own HERC. It addresses the most fundamental questions of starting a HERC, such as - What is a HERC? - Why do we need a HERC? - How do we start a HERC - How should a HERC be structured? It also provides guidance for developing and sustaining a successful HERC by outlining the steps and activities needed to begin and providing a list of policies and procedures that can be implemented and resources that can be consulted. This information can be applied and customized to any community's specific needs and resources to implement a program that will address any size disaster or healthcare emergency that presents itself. This book provides myriad benefits to everyone invested in emergency preparedness for a community, from health officials and emergency response teams to government officials and fire and police departments, along with anyone else involved with preparing his or her community for disasters and public health emergencies.




Health Care Emergency Management


Book Description

Recent research underscores a serious lack of preparedness among hospitals nationwide and a dearth of credible educational programs and resources on hospital emergency preparedness. As the only resource of its kind, Health Care Emergency Management: Principles and Practice specifically addresses hospital and health system preparedness in the face of a large scale disaster or other emergency. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book is missing some of the images or content found in the physical edition.




Crisis Standards of Care


Book Description

Disasters and public health emergencies can stress health care systems to the breaking point and disrupt delivery of vital medical services. During such crises, hospitals and long-term care facilities may be without power; trained staff, ambulances, medical supplies and beds could be in short supply; and alternate care facilities may need to be used. Planning for these situations is necessary to provide the best possible health care during a crisis and, if needed, equitably allocate scarce resources. Crisis Standards of Care: A Toolkit for Indicators and Triggers examines indicators and triggers that guide the implementation of crisis standards of care and provides a discussion toolkit to help stakeholders establish indicators and triggers for their own communities. Together, indicators and triggers help guide operational decision making about providing care during public health and medical emergencies and disasters. Indicators and triggers represent the information and actions taken at specific thresholds that guide incident recognition, response, and recovery. This report discusses indicators and triggers for both a slow onset scenario, such as pandemic influenza, and a no-notice scenario, such as an earthquake. Crisis Standards of Care features discussion toolkits customized to help various stakeholders develop indicators and triggers for their own organizations, agencies, and jurisdictions. The toolkit contains scenarios, key questions, and examples of indicators, triggers, and tactics to help promote discussion. In addition to common elements designed to facilitate integrated planning, the toolkit contains chapters specifically customized for emergency management, public health, emergency medical services, hospital and acute care, and out-of-hospital care.




Emergency Management Compliance Manual


Book Description

Emergency Management Compliance Manual: A Guide to the Joint Commission Standards Thomas J. Huser, MS, CHSP Over the last decade, catastrophic events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina have turned the spotlight on how healthcare organizations prepare for disasters. Today, from tornados and power outages to pandemic flu, the pressure is on safety officers and emergency management coordinators to protect their facility, staff, and patients from emergencies, no matter what the size. The Joint Commission's emergency management standards require hospitals not only to be prepared to protect their facility, staff, and patients, but also to demonstrate compliance. The Emergency Management Compliance Manual: A Guide to the Joint Commission Standards helps you cut through the confusion and provides best practices to help you meet these provisions. The Emergency Management Compliance Manual helps you to: Develop emergency management and operations plans that work (e.g., EM.01.01.01 and EM.02.01.01) Define an emergency and complete a hazard vulnerability analysis (e.g., EM.01.01.01) Address The Joint Commission's six critical areas (e.g., EM.02.01.01 through EM.02.02.15) Understand disaster privileging and assigning responsibilities during an emergency (e.g., EM.02.02.13 and EM.02.02.15) Evaluate the effectiveness of your planning (e.g., EM.03.01.01 and EM.03.01.03) Recognize hotspots and take action before they happen This manual and CD-ROM set has the answers you need to be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Trusted safety professional and author Thomas J. Huser, MS, CHSP, strategically provides compliance tips and advice for emergency management compliance success. Safety officers and emergency management coordinators alike use this reference on a daily basis to create policies and procedures to comply with Joint Commission requirements. Bonus CD-ROM included with your binder The accompanying CD-ROM contains electronic versions of all the forms and tools, making it easy to download and customize them to meet your facility's unique needs. A customizable tool that you'll refer to daily This manual is packaged in a portable 10 x 11 binder, making it easy to snap it open and add your own documents and policies.




Hospital-Based Emergency Care


Book Description

Today our emergency care system faces an epidemic of crowded emergency departments, patients boarding in hallways waiting to be admitted, and daily ambulance diversions. Hospital-Based Emergency Care addresses the difficulty of balancing the roles of hospital-based emergency and trauma care, not simply urgent and lifesaving care, but also safety net care for uninsured patients, public health surveillance, disaster preparation, and adjunct care in the face of increasing patient volume and limited resources. This new book considers the multiple aspects to the emergency care system in the United States by exploring its strengths, limitations, and future challenges. The wide range of issues covered includes: • The role and impact of the emergency department within the larger hospital and health care system. • Patient flow and information technology. • Workforce issues across multiple disciplines. • Patient safety and the quality and efficiency of emergency care services. • Basic, clinical, and health services research relevant to emergency care. • Special challenges of emergency care in rural settings. Hospital-Based Emergency Care is one of three books in the Future of Emergency Care series. This book will be of particular interest to emergency care providers, professional organizations, and policy makers looking to address the deficiencies in emergency care systems.




Medical Disaster Response


Book Description

While the job of a clinician in a disaster scenario is to save lives without regard for the cause or rationale for the injury, medical and emergency professionals who understand the diverse aspects of a disaster are better equipped to respond effectively. Giving emergency personnel the tools they need to perform in catastrophic situations, Medical