Proposed Project/Plan in Diaster Management - Case Study Example

Proposed Project/Plan in Disaster Management (College) Proposed Project/Plan in Disaster Management Introduction During my assessment of issues in disaster management, I have identified poor stakeholder management, wrong decisions, incorrect estimates of costs and improper collaboration and communication as the key factors that require improvement. In addition, issues were identified in connection with data protection and processing during disasters. So, there is the need to implement certain strategies that would help improve stakeholders’ performances and management processes.

Preparing healthcare organizations to face disasters It is very evident that every healthcare organization should have a well-defined strategy to address disasters. As Bender (2007) states, The National Incident Management System (NIMS) offers particular guidelines for healthcare systems to prepare and respond to disaster situations; and the strategies suggested by NIMS are command and management, preparedness planning, preparedness training, preparedness exercises, resource management, and communication and information management.

Preparedness planning One among them, and in fact, the most important for healthcare system, is preparedness planning. This involves the development of guidelines, protocols, and standards for planning, training, exercises, personnel, equipment, certification, and publication management. NIMS point out that every healthcare organization should have an emergency operation plan to support disaster activity management. This plan must be reviewed after every incident or every year to ensure that it is competent enough to face the challenges.

Preparedness training The next important thing is preparedness training. The staff of healthcare facilities should be prepared to handle situations through proper training. The courses should clearly point out the roles of staff and leadership within the organization. Such courses should also address issues like triage and data protection. It is pointed out by Vincent, Berg, and Ikegami (2009) that mass-casualty triage training for healthcare workers using simulations will help solve the issues associated with Triage to a great extent.

Preparedness exercises The next point is preparedness exercises. This will ensure that the staff is well-prepared to handle disasters in accordance with the training they are provided. The exercises can be tabletop or full-scale. These drills will ensure that the staff is well aware of the policies to follow. In addition, it will reveal the drawbacks of the present policy and system. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 An effort to address the issues associated with protection of data during disasters can be seen in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

This Act requires that organizations be ready to ensure that quick access is generated to electronic information in a disaster situation. As electronic record safety and accessibility is very vital in disaster plan, organizations should plan potential disaster scenarios through testing and refinement. It is pointed out that documentation should not be broken in case of a disaster. Care should be taken to ensure the proper functioning of electronic documentation, and in case of damage, repair should be immediate.

In my opinion, proper implementation of these strategies will, to a great extent, provide a solution to issues related to data collection and documentation. In addition, as Herring and Herrmann (2010) remind, the training will ensure that the staff is aware about the issues associated with triage. References Bender, J. E. (2007).­ “National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines for hospitals and healthcare systems: Designing successful exercises”. National Center for Biotechnology Information. 23(2). 41-46.

Herring, W. L & Herrmann, J. W. (2010). “Medical response planning and triage for mass casualty terrorist bombing”. The Institute for Systems Research. 1-8. Retrieved from http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/1903/10709/3/WHerring_MCTB_LitReview_edited.pdf Vincent, D. S, Berg, B. W & Ikegami, K. (June 2009). “Mass-casualty triage training for international healthcare workers in the Asia-Pacific region using Manikin-based simulations: Original research”. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. 24(3). 206-213.