Emergency Preparedness for Healthcare Professionals - Essay Example

Emergency preparedness for Healthcare Professionals Emergency preparedness for Healthcare Professionals Introduction In most cases, when people are anticipating for an outbreak of any kind of disaster that may range from an earthquake, a disease, terrorism, and/or fire, hospitals are always on a high alert in view of combating the outbreak. This happens because if any of these outbreaks resolves to occur, those who fall victims always require medical attention (Rout & Rout, 2002). Thus, putting in place a substantial medical system for attending any emergencies is congruent at such times. In emergency preparedness, medical professionals in association with other hospital staff set themselves in place in order to handle any cases that requires medical attention. In view of bracing for such events, there are procedures and protocols that the concerned professionals follow (Veenema, 2007). They are at times more consistent rather than complex and ensure the safety of humans comes first. This paper will seek to discuss emergency preparedness for healthcare providers by providing ten different areas where hospitals should exhibit emergency preparedness. Earthquake Analysts advise that whenever there is an earthquake, people should always drop, cover, and hold on. In real terms, this means that one should first look for a place to drop and cover him or her when the earth starts trembling. This in effect reduces the chances of any person falling casualty of such natural disasters. However, noting that the occurrence of such natural disasters requires the inception of certain measures is substantial (Veenema, 2007). This points out that if a certain area requires helping people survive an earthquake and thereafter reduce its health impacts, they must first of all prepare, come up with a plan, and practice. Whenever earthquakes occur, loss of lives and properties accompanied by panic is rampant. In addition, hospitals and other medical providing agencies resolve to help reduce the impacts that result from such natural disasters (Rout & Rout, 2002). Overly, earthquakes and other natural disasters tend to send a series of panic and havoc among the proclaimed victims. As such, analysts have come to consider these attacks as some of the major contributors of losses suffered at an event of an earthquake. Far in advance, surveys show that whenever weather professionals forecast any possibility of a threatening earthquake, medical professionals and hospital staff wander up and down in search of ways of combating the repercussions. Prospects show that when an earthquake is about to occur, medical professionals and hospital staff gathers emergency supplies (Veenema, 2007). This means that in order to be in a position to combat the impacts of such natural disaster, the concerned professionals get down in search of the necessary emergency supplies that can help either reduce or stop the effects of an earthquake. After that, hospital professionals identify and work tirelessly with the aim of reducing the risks within the places affected. Identifying the possible areas of destruction is crucial as it helps reduce the amount of lives or properties that could perish in the face of an earthquake (Rout & Rout, 2002). What follows these steps is the aspect of practicing the measures to take during and at the end of an earthquake. Medical professionals ascertain that practicing what to do at the time of an earthquake and after can help people remain healthy and safe (Clements, 2009). Fire What starts as a simple spark can result to an uncontrollable fire in less than thirty seconds. Prospects indicate that fire spreads very easily and requires just a few seconds to become what fire extinguishers and related experts otherwise term as risky and uncontrollable. Nevertheless, emergency preparedness for fire with regard to hospital professionals is always significant (Reilly & Markenson, 2011). It comes to such a situation when hospitals’ professionals seek to bring together the necessary equipment that can treat help reduce the consequences of a fire outbreak. Under these circumstances, the level of readiness is very important as it helps determine the extent at which the hospital professionals will react to a fire outbreak. Since fire can shake a whole hospital full of emergency preparedness professionals, it is always vital for doctors and other assisting personnel to equip themselves with the general elements of managing an emergency (Hogan & Burstein, 2007). Health facilities that help manage an emergency, with regard to fire, include, but not limited to preparedness, mitigation, response, and sometimes recovery. In an event of fire, hospital professionals prepare themselves in view of combating this epidemic by setting up an incident command system, which facilitates the integration of the community emergency planning commonly forwarded by the available groups. Hospital professionals also equip themselves with decontamination materials in the wake of a fire outbreak (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). Decontamination is a part of their emergency preparedness procedures that they employ at any given time when fire incidents are on the rise. Nevertheless, it is important to indicate that even though hospitals professionals should always seek to avail preparedness materials for an emergency in position in case of a fire outbreak, turning for other measures is even more substantial (Reilly & Markenson, 2011). Specialists in the fire department maintain that evacuation is indeed a congruent strategy that hospital professionals should always consider in an event of fire as it reduces the many costly procedures taken during such a time. Given that these emergency preparedness measures may help reduce the impacts of a fire outbreak, turning around for disaster recovery procedures is preliminary (Clements, 2009). It helps restore those affected by the fire tragedy to their previous status but this happens in places where such a move is possible. Terrorism Documented evidence states that disasters may be natural while others man-made. Terrorism is an example of artificial disaster that may cause people loss of their lives and in other cases, loss, or destruction of their properties (Ciottone, 2006). In whichever case, terrorism does not result into anything productive but rather diminishes any feeling of freedom and security within and outside the said country. Take a look at the September 9/11 terrorism attacks; it is notable that both the American citizens and the outside world felt threatened security wise (Veenema, 2007). As a result, the government, with the support of other concerned organizations resolved to form such groups like the Local Emergency Planning Committees, which supports hospital professionals in combating terrorism activities. It is therefore deducible that one way in which hospital professionals prepare for terrorist emergencies is via forming negotiation and support committees that help facilitate the delivery of services to the affected individuals (Hogan & Burstein, 2007). At times, terrorism activities may include holding innocent citizens hostage, shooting and wounding individuals, and/or releasing a hazardous gases into an enclosed building. Under these circumstances, the lives of many people are always at stake, a situation that calls for emergency preparedness in not only hospitals but also in security agencies (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). Of late, terrorist and other related criminal activities have skyrocketed and the available means of combating their consequences are still minimal. Hospital professionals equip themselves with emergency handling facilities such as masks and gloves if they are up against hazardous gases. On the other end, the same professionals harm themselves with medical supplies whose aim is to handle any wounded individuals if the terrorist resolve to use lethal weapons on innocent citizens (Landesman, 2005). Probably, the terrorists may shoot and injure or rather wound their victims making it hard for the hospital professionals to just sit and wait for the final decision. This calls for the introduction of medical supplies for reducing the harm caused by such activities. Bear in mind that, risk analysis considers an industry or a company as a big composition when affected by terrorism activities (Hogan & Burstein, 2007). Thus, in case of a terrorist scare, hospital professionals prepare for emergencies that result from terrorism just as usual even if the bizarre activity is taking place in an industry. Carbon Monoxide poisoning Chemical analysis shows that carbon monoxide is simply a gas that is colorless and odorless but very poisonous when it reaches its maximum and can lead to a sudden death when the illness persists. Overly, experts in gaseous response presses that carbon monoxide which emanates from motor vehicles, gas powered generators, fire, power washers, boats, charcoal grill, and other gas powered equipments causes death when insufficient supply within the ambient air (Ciottone, 2006). Research findings proclaim that the most at risk populations consist of the elderly, babies, infants, and people who suffer from chronic respiratory illnesses, anemia, and/or heart diseases (Landesman, 2005). In an event of carbon monoxide poisoning, hospital professionals equip themselves with oxygen gas and resolve to consider carrying out hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO). Educational scores in carbon monoxide positioning and related studies suggest that oxygen gas is a substantial remedy against carbon monoxide poisoning mainly because it relieves the patient of heart failure as it helps supply the heart with adequate oxygen capable of pumping blood to the other parts of the body (Veenema, 2007). Aside from oxygen, healthcare professionals should also exhibit emergency preparedness at an event when a patient is brought in with COHb level above or between 25 and 30 percent. In such circumstances, a patient may lose his or her life to cardiac involvement, neurological impairment, and/or prolonged unconsciousness (Hogan & Burstein, 2007). Generally, when healthcare professionals carry out a hyperbaric oxygen therapy and diagnose a patient with severe acidosis, cardiac disease, or transient unconsciousness, they should always consider the matter as an emergency case as the patient may die from these signs (Clements, 2009). Just as clinicians suggest, harmful gases such as carbon monoxide pose significant challenges to people’s livelihoods and should always be treated with much haste as they cannot only impair the life of the victim, but also lead to the consequent death of the affected person (Reilly & Markenson, 2011). Therefore, considering carbon monoxide poisoning as an emergency is much more than vital. For seriously affected patients, application of chest radiography is recommendable particularly those showing signs of cardiopulmonary and lack of consciousness as they may require emergency services more than others may. Hurricane May it be a cyclone or a typhoon in addition to other tropical storms, hospitals and healthcare professionals should at all times consider a hurricane to be a disaster that requires emergence attention. Healthcare professionals and other hospital staff should always consider hurricanes as emergencies and prepare for them majorly because they lead to the destruction of vital home, industrial, and social supplies such as water, electricity, and food (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). In case of a hurricane, strong winds blow. They tend to destroy power lines causing a total blackout, which leads to people living in a particular area being cut from the outside world, as they cannot watch the news or receive any supplies and loss of lives as it destroys buildings trapping those inside and making it hard for them to survive without the essentials of humans. With this respect, considering a hurricane to be a natural disaster that requires emergent attention is crucial for healthcare professionals can help save lives of the affected by providing with them the necessary medical attention capable of sustaining their lives (Landesman, 2005). Hurricanes cause havoc and panic over many people and this may trigger health complications within people who suffer from coronary and other heart diseases. For such people to survive, they require emergency medical attention, which only medically trained personnel, can provide (Ciottone, 2006). This means that hospitals and healthcare professionals should always treat hurricane as an emergency case so that they can resolve to provide either medical attention to people brought to them with such complications or those they choose to rescue (Clements, 2009). Further, healthcare providers should always consider hurricane as an emergency issue since it requires people to evacuate their places of residence once its scare is at large. In an event of evacuation, healthcare professionals can offer many medical related services to these evacuating and therefore considering the situation, as emergency is integral. Hurricanes trigger a number of issues such as diseases and infections as well as injuries since the heavy winds tend to lead to falling trees and buildings hence healthcare professionals can help combat such consequences (Wolfson, Hendey, & Harwood-Nuss, 2010). Floods In the wake of waters that rest or rather, accumulates above the ground without resulting to any significant change particularly in a place they should not be, healthcare professionals should exhibit emergency preparedness. Agreeably, floods cause diseases, infections, and other malicious ailments that cause deaths and loss of properties (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). Buildings collapse and structured centers fall apart when floods occur and this is the major reason as to why healthcare professionals should always consider floods as an emergency at all times. This means that healthcare professionals should exhibit preparedness at an event of floods since they result in diseases such as cholera and infections such as typhoid. In tropical regions, floods cause other diseases like malaria since mosquitoes breed in such zones making it heard from the residents to survive in such conditions (Veenema, 2007). Healthcare professionals should exhibit preparedness at an event of flood since floods bring about contaminations, which require immunization and treatment. According to CDC, when floods fill houses and other settlement buildings, chances of those buildings are always high. In case they collapse, those present fall victims and sustain major injuries that always require medical attention. Truthfully, not all personnel involved in evacuation when there are floods are capable of handling an influx of patients with injuries (Clements, 2009). This means that if healthcare professionals consider floods as an emergency, it becomes easier to combat the impacts of such natural disasters. For a fact, healthcare providers should therefore find floods to be tormenting and exhibit preparedness in the wake of such incidences in order to help reduce the damages that may result from them (Landesman, 2005). Apparently, floods raise concerns over sanitation cases and in many incidents, the affected places always have a large number of people who suffer from health complications after consuming contaminated foods. When such situations occur, people tend to require advent medical attention, which without the help of qualified medical personnel, things can always turn out to be astonishing (Hogan & Burstein, 2007). Intuitively, when floods occur, healthcare professionals should exhibit preparedness, as they are part of the panel that can help save lives through various attempts. Tornadoes Specifically, when people become aware of a possible occurrence of a tornado and immediately seek ways of evading it can help reduce the prevalence of damage caused by such natural disasters. Adhering to tornado warnings and implications can help save many lives as the set emergency evacuation and combating policies are always the best remedy for these disasters (Wolfson, Hendey, & Harwood-Nuss, 2010). An ongoing tornado poses serious challenges or rather risks to people’s lives as they carry with them heavily blown objects and risk killing people through falling or flying objects as the winds are always fast and strong. After a tornado, those wreckages that remain behind present additional risks to people’s lives as they can result in risky injuries. Knowingly, specialists maintain that nothing one can do in order to prevent the occurrence of a tornado. However, noting that taking the necessary actions that can help combat the risks that a tornado pose is essential (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). Just as in the case of other natural disasters, tornadoes break power lines, electrical systems, and gas lines and can cause huge explosions or electrocution. Healthcare professionals should exhibit preparedness in an event of a tornado since the challenges it poses are great in depth. Systemically, a wave of a tornado can leave hundreds of people dead and properties worth millions of dollars destroyed. With reference to American Medical Association (AMA), tornadoes cause injuries to the people living within the affected areas, which may result from an impact caused by a falling tornado. During rescue attempts, the involved persons can barely make it out the jinx without an injury (Clements, 2009). For instance, during the rescue attempts of the tornado that took place in Marion, Illinois indicated that 50 percent of all the recorded injuries occurred during the rescue. People who walk among the debris may also sustain serious injuries as well as those entering damaged buildings (Trufanov, Rossodivita, & Guidotti, 2010). Research observations show that when such a disaster occurs, people suffer many complications that require medical attention and therefore healthcare professionals should consider a tornado an emergency issue and resonate to set up an emergency preparedness platform (Reilly & Markenson, 2011). Tsunami When a tsunami takes place, it is likely that many people will either suffer from multiple health issues or lose their lives in the process. During and after a tsunami is a very vibrant time for healthcare professionals as the press puts them in a hotspot, as they are the number one respondents of such disasters (Landesman, 2005). The most tormenting moments for a healthcare provider is the period after a tsunami occurs. This is so because once the involved personnel rescue survivors, the concerned healthcare professionals and the government officials put their primary apprehension to clean water for drinking, shelter, and food as well as medical support for those who suffer injuries. This is a clear indication that healthcare professionals should always exhibit preparedness at a time of tsunami since they expertise is crucial and can help reduce damage and save many lives (Wolfson, Hendey, & Harwood-Nuss, 2010). Without a doubt, tsunamis lead to loss of shelter hence exposes the survivors to insects and heat among many other environmental risks (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). Majority of the deaths that occur during and after a tsunami are caused by many hazards such as drowning. Lately, researchers have come to conclude that injuries result from people being thrown by water into debris, which include but not limited to houses, stationary items, and trees (Clements, 2009). During these moments, people may sustain injuries such as head injuries and broken limbs that commonly result from physical impacts when water washes the caught victims into debris. Indeed, tsunamis are a health and live scares and they can result to losses and destruction of either of the said items. Hence, it is agreeable to mention that healthcare professionals and other hospital staff should always exhibit preparedness during and after a tsunami (Reilly & Markenson, 2011). Combating the physical outcomes of a tsunami can prove to be daunting given that it causes masses of injuries that require immediate medical attention and within populated areas, a tsunami can mess up a whole country’s budget since the affected persons require not only safe food and clean drinking water, but also need new shelters (Wolfson, Hendey, & Harwood-Nuss, 2010). Volcanoes These natural phenomena occur in specific areas and specialists propagate that people have as many ways as there are of avoiding fallings victims of dangers that come along with a volcano eruption. Profoundly, volcanoes can end up producing such things like flashfloods, toxic gases, ash, and fast moving flows of things like hot gases and other substances termed by geologists as pyroclastic flows (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). Moreover, a volcano eruption can result to emission of hot water flashfloods and some debris otherwise referred to as lahars. Always, it is important to pay attention to volcano warnings and is necessary to take the necessary measures in order to avoid any risks that may result from a volcano when it erupts. Undoubtedly, volcano eruption is a natural disaster that refutes mayhem upon those affected and stating that it requires healthcare professionals and other hospital attendants to exhibit preparedness is crucial (Hogan & Burstein, 2007). Disasters such as a volcano eruption, wildfire, and other public health emergencies can cause long lasting trauma that can reverberate with not only those affected but also those not directly affected. Medical organizations, healthcare providers, and other hospital staff should exhibit emergency medical preparedness in an event of a volcanic eruption since the outcomes of such an event can result in heart breaking events in the lives of those involved in either way (Landesman, 2005). Presence of medical personnel in a case where there has occurred a volcano eruption can have outstanding effects on all sides. This is consequential because they help provide general strategies that promote mental health stability among those mentally traumatized (Trufanov, Rossodivita, & Guidotti, 2010). Center for disease and control works round the clock to help identify and track down any environmental hazards, health risks, and live, threatening happenings that it then documents and calls for the necessary measures. Data provided by CDC expounds that a volcano dilapidates the essence of life wellness and revamps the aspect of life threatening events (Wolfson, Hendey, & Harwood-Nuss, 2010). Based on such arguments, healthcare professionals in association with any other medical personnel should take the issue of volcano eruptions as a disaster that requires emergent attention and exhibit preparedness using the necessary means possible. Landslides Succinctly, landslides and/or mudslides happen when masses of earth parts, rocks, or debris fall down a slope making the neighboring parts sink together with the affected place. Mudslides otherwise termed as debris flows are the most rampant types of fast moving landslides and tend to flow in specific channels (Clements, 2009). Research findings point out that a landslide occurs when there is a disturbance within the natural stability of a given slope. Unlike fabricated disasters, landslides can come along with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heavy droughts, and/or rains (Wolfson, Hendey, & Harwood-Nuss, 2010). Since landslides result from other formations such as when water develops or accumulates rapidly on a ground causing a surge in water saturation on a rock, debris, or earth, it leads to an outbreak of diseases. Further, it gives rise to diseases and other infections that are hazardous to human lives (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). For all what is worth, healthcare providers should show emergency preparedness for a landslide since it poses life-threatening effects onto the involved individuals. Conclusion As described above, natural disasters such as wildfire, volcano eruptions, hurricanes, landslides, tornadoes, and tsunamis among others can lead to total destruction of properties on one end (Trufanov, Rossodivita, & Guidotti, 2010). On the other part, they can lead to many deaths if combated at the relevant time. This happens to be one of the most important reasons as to why healthcare professionals, emergency personnel, and other care providers should consider such events as emergent and requiring immediate attention (Landesman, 2005). Therefore, they should always exhibit preparedness as failure to be ready for such emergencies can resolve to produce the largest casualties possible. This paper has provided an emergency preparedness for healthcare providers by giving ten different areas where a hospital should exhibit emergency preparedness. References Ciottone, G. R. (2006). Disaster medicine. Philadelphia: Elsevier Mosby. Clements, B. (2009). Disasters and public health: Planning and response. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann/Elsevier. Hogan, D. E. & Burstein, J. L. (2007). Disaster medicine. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer. Landesman, L. Y. (2005). Public health management of disasters: The practice guide. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association. Reilly, M. J. & Markenson, D. S. 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