The type of preparations hospitals take for emergency management scenarios depend on the scenario itself. The way it responds to a terrorist attack or a shooter is significantly different than how workers will respond to a fire or a hurricane. Hospitals generally run a series of different drills and exercises that test how well workers respond and whether they need more education before an event actually happens.
Practice Drills and Exercises
Practice drills and exercises are the most common type of preparations hospitals take for emergency management scenarios. These drills test the response time of different workers and determine if they follow the protocols put in place by the administrating body or board of directors. Doctors, nurses and all other workers must know what to do with patients, whether they need to lock down different floors and wards and how to alert the authorities. An outside company will come in and give the workers a specific scenario. After running through the scenario, that company will give the hospital a grade based on how well its workers responded. This helps hospitals determine where it needs to educate and better train those workers.
Appointing a Spokesperson
Long before any type of emergency situation occurs, a hospital will appoint a spokesperson. According to the CDC, informing the public is the main goal of this spokesperson, but the spokesperson must also keep the public updated about any changes. He or she will generally form working relationships with local news stations and other media outlets. They talk with those reporters and stations and let them know about emergency situations occurring in the hospital and what the hospital plans to do to rectify the problem.
Remaining Up to Date on New Outbreaks
The types of emergency diseases found in the United States can vary from day to day. While many people think that the CDC eradicated tuberculosis, an outbreak of the disease struck Cincinnati and other cities in 2014. The Ebola virus also made its way to the United States that same year. Hospital administrators cannot rely on the same techniques and procedures that they used in the past. They must have knowledge of diseases striking the country and know how to prevent those diseases from affecting their hospitals. The CDC will issue alerts, but smart hospital administrators also watch the news and read medical publications to stay better informed.
Hosting Educational Workshops
One of the preparations hospitals take for emergency management scenarios is an educational workshop. An educational workshop strives to better prepare everyone from doctors and administrators to nurses and support staff understand what to do during an emergency. Those running the workshop will go over different types of situations, including shooters, infectious diseases, earthquakes, fires and terrorist attacks. Workers learn what to do and how to handle those situations in each area of the hospital. They'll go over what happens to patients, the locations of the fire alarms and emergency exits and how to alert others in the hospital about the problem.
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Hospitals face potential hazards every day. Those hazards can include disgruntled patients and their loved ones, issues relating to certain diseases and infections and natural disasters in the form of earthquakes and hurricanes. The preparations hospitals take for emergency management scenarios ensure that workers know the best way to respond and get help after one of these emergencies.