Emergency Preparedness for Healthcare Professionals - Article Example

? Emergency preparedness for Healthcare Professionals s Institute of affiliation Speech Managers, shareholders all protocol observed. I would like to bring to your attention the emergency preparedness that hospital communities should observe during a certain suspected occurrence of a disaster. First, it is pertinent to note that disaster usually comes in all sizes and shapes; it can be either fabricated or natural. Notably, the following is some of the suspected disaster that needs attention by the whole hospital community. Suspected calamities here, are the earthquake, landslide, hurricanes, floods, Tornadoes, terrorism, volcanoes, tsunami, what to do if someone attacks the hospital with a weapon and lastly carbon Monoxide poisoning. It is advisable that since a hospital is working as a team, then the fight and preparedness here should also be initiated as a team. To begin with, I will address the issues of someone coming in to attack the hospital with a weapon. Here, it is advisable that both patients and hospital officials should make a highway where some individuals can escape. In addition, the alarm system should be in place and in good condition, which will alarm the security officers on the attack immediately. Having put that across, it is also vital to raise concern over earthquake occurrence in the hospital. Earthquake is natural and often, hard to identify the direction to which it is originating from without machines assistance. Therefore, it is advisable for the hospital management to be well equipped with several kits that can last over seventy-two hours after the occurrence of the real incidence. Some of the kits are the ponchos, radios for communication and networking, food rations and flashlights just to sample but a few. Again, it is important for the hospital management to acknowledge the vitality of the emergency systems that will aid in notifications. Further, it will be awesome if the hospital is safe-guarded with earthquake safety measures, frames and foundations of the building should be reinforced to resist earthquake. Another unavoidable disaster is terrorism. Often, the increased potential of attacks by the terrorist directs the consequence and unique burden on Medicaid personnel. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the hospital management to prepare in advance for the fight against such act. Thus, the hospital officials have the mandate to implement policies that will protect health care personnel during the time when they will be attending to the victims. Therefore, it is pertinent to have ambulance in standby to evacuate some patients to other hospitals, order extra medicines and arrangements for security personnel. Again, alarming disaster is carbon Monoxide poisoning. In this regard, it is pertinent that the management team should ensure that there is proper installation of the carbon monoxide alarms, which can alert the concern authority audibly. The hospitals should have a professional checker of all burning appliances. It is not wise to be using oven or range to assist in heating the hospitals. Charcoal burning in hospital should be out of bounds. Another caution is that cars should not be left running since; this will not supply required air in the milieu. Lastly, hospital should develop extra decontamination rooms since it is not likely that pre-hospital personnel will manage to control all the contamination issues, the above will prevent hypothermia illness. Hurricane is another disaster that needs thorough preparedness. Here, for any hospitals to run effectively without worries of the severity of the hurricane, it is important that the following issues be put in place. Back-up generators are required to prevent black out condition. Hospital structures should be hardened and category five windows hurricane resistance put in place. Fuel tanks for the back-up generators should be available. Another natural disaster is the flood. It is worth to note that flood being a natural disaster calls for preparedness immediately when any sign shows up to avoid loss of life. Some of the preparedness process is that, it is important that emergency teams be available so that they bear mandate of pumping excess water out of the building. Plans are supposed to be in place for the relocation of the patients in the intensive care unit, those under hemodialysis actions and those who are in ventilators. If that is not enough, the hospital management should create a route where, during the flood, still the responsible team should access the basement and do the required repair. Further, it is required that safe route to be improvised so the patient and other individuals can run to a nearby shelter, for instance a raised pucca house. Emergency kits should be accessible. The emergency kits must have; the torch, portable radio and spare battery. Fresh water stocks, candle, dry food and match boxes. It is important to have polythene bags, waterproof that can act as valuables and clothing bamboo stick and umbrellas. Lastly, the first aid kit should have strong ropes that will assist in tying and manuals. Tornadoes is another disasters that needs a hospital to be well prepared in any case it occurs. Since it is a violent wind, called whirlwinds and it usually it crosses the land in a narrow path, can cause death and so it needs correct measures to be put in place. Here, the required preparedness is as follows; the vulnerable parties as for instance patients should be protected by practical and feasible means available. Some of this practice is blinding and closing the windows. Patients should be covered with blankets and nursing personnel are supposed to move patients to the hallways. All individuals should move to the interior, the hospital management should make the security available. Any person at the site, who does not have security officers, should be designated as a spotter. Another event that can be regarded as disasters and need preparedness in the hospital is the occurrence of the tsunami. Here, several practices should be carried out, for instance hospital should carry out the pre-event preparedness, triage and patient evacuation. It is pertinent to carry out recognition of the hospital and secondary transfer, discharge where necessary and reduction of the admission procedures. Last, at this point, it is pertinent for the hospital management to reinforce the medical system to be well trusted. Volcanoes are another disaster that needs emergency preparedness. Here, the emergency plan should include the following; hazardous zones should be identified and marked valuable property should be in register, safe refuge zones should be identified, so that hospital population can be evacuated if there are dangerous eruptions. Additionally, evacuations routes should be identified, assembly point be marked, this will help those who are waiting for transportation to the next safe hospital to converge easily. Means of transport should be identified, presence of the alert procedures, still during evacuation, it is vital for health care personnel to improvise mobile treatment. Correct communications should be put in place and lastly, it is vital to establish a good system for updates. Lastly, landslide is another disaster that needs emergency preparedness. Here, it is pertinent for hospital management to stay awake and alert. This is because, according to the study, it is evident that much debris usually occurs during nighttime. Therefore, alertness will save many lives if landslides will actually occur. Another important factor is that the hospital management should arrange for alternative place for evacuation, alert the security and rescue teams ensure phones and any other communication device is in order. In conclusion, after addressing those several issues that need emergency preparedness, I believe that disaster preparedness is well known to hospital personnel. Therefore, it is important for hospitals to revise their plans on how to cover additional varieties of disasters that have in one way or another stuck at the roadblock. Here, a fact to put into consideration is to check if institutions are on the right track in their arrangement for the emergency preparedness. Further, it is pertinent for the hospital management to involve all the departments. By doing that, it will be possible for the all voices to converge in one language and be hard. Another notable point is that, individuals should engage in not only practice but also training so that disaster management communication between the hospital and the community is effective. Hence, everyone will have open minds and that when disaster strikes, they will be well prepared and will face it courageous and positively. I summarize by giving thanks to you all for listening to me. Thank you. Read More