Emergency preparedness: Interviews with senior leadership in Nebraska hospitals

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore perceptions of senior leadership in hospitals on the motivations, cost, benefits, barriers, and facilitators of investment in emergency preparedness. Study design: This is a qualitative study which used a grounded theory approach to develop a theory of hospital emergency preparedness. Setting and study participants: A purposive sample of hospital leaders (n = 11) in the US state of Nebraska were interviewed.Results: Results showed that the environmental risk associated with the hospital location, the hospital’s position in the community, and the preparedness requirements of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contribute to investment decisions. Rural hospitals face unique challenges in preparing for disasters, for example, lack of trained personnel. Facilitators of disaster preparedness include the availability of federal funds, the commitment of leadership, and an organizational mission aligned toward emergency preparedness. Hospitals invest in hazard vulnerability assessments; partnerships with other organizations in the community; staff trainings and infrastructure.Conclusions: The authors concluded that hospitals in Nebraska are committed toward investing in preparedness activities. The theory of hospital emergency preparedness developed will be used in a subsequent study to develop a decision-support framework for hospital investment in preparedness.

Preparing Hospitals in India for Covid-19 Pandemic

Hospitals have important part in the human health organization toprovide necessary treatmentfor public, mainly in a calamity. During the current outbreak of COVID-19, and is in giving important needs and supplies will possibly interrupt the providing critical treatment due to not organized health-care capacity. Along with, a greater amount of personnelabsence can be predictable. A lack of important kits and materials can lead to restricted supplies to desirable care and have a direct impact on healthcare delivery. Anxiety can lead to possibly hamper recognized operational practices. Also in hospitals dealing with COVID 19 pandemic can be a difficulty. In spite of the challenging difficulties and problems expected, the positive and organized execution of important basic and definite arrangements can aid successful hospital-based organization for the period of a speedily progressing epidemic. Hospital emergency preparedness is a constant progression that association to the complete preparedness platform. Several principles and suggestions drawn in this article are general and appropriate to other incidents. The article gives checklist which is proposed to manage current situationby hospital emergency preparation platforms.

From silos to coalitions: The evolution of the US Hospital Preparedness Program

Objective: The objective of this article is to trace the hospital emergency preparedness movement in the United States, strengthen the case for hospital investments in emergency preparedness, and make recommendations to ensure sustainability of the program. Design/Approach: This article is a narrative review. Main themes from the literature about the US Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) are discussed, beginning with the trends in funding levels of the HPP, the rise of regional healthcare coalitions, preparedness performance measures, and the challenges faced over the past 15 years of HPP activities. Finally, recommendations are made about ways to sustain the program.Findings: The HPP was established in 2002 and funding for the program has seen a 56 percent decrease over the last 16 years. Beyond the initial investment in supplies and equipment, hospitals have received very little of the healthcare preparedness funding.Disaster drills and exercises to test emergency plans in hospitals are perceived as a costly distraction from daily work. The biggest challenge is the lack of engagement and support from hospital leadership.Conclusions: To ensure the sustainability of the HPP, the positive impact of preparedness activities on the hospital’s day-to-day operations must be demonstrated.

Hospitals preparedness using WHO guideline: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Hospitals play a critical role in providing communities with essential medical care during disasters. Objectives: In this article, the key components and recommended actions of WHO (World Health Organization) Hospital emergency response checklist have been considered to identify current practices in disaster/emergency hospital preparedness in actual or potential incidents. Methods: Articles were obtained through bibliographic databases, including ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, and SID: Scientific information database. Keywords were “Disaster,” “Preparedness,” “Emergency Preparedness,” “Disaster Planning,” “Mass Casualty Incidents,” “Hospital Emergency Preparedness,” “Health Emergency Preparedness,” “Preparedness Response,” and “Emergency Readiness.” Independent reviewers (F.R. and M.H.Y.) screened abstracts and titles for eligibility. STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) checklist was used to qualifying the studies for this review. Results: Of 1545 identified studies, 26 articles were implied inclusion criteria. They accounted for nine key components and 92 recommended actions. The majority of principles that had been rigorously recommended at any level of the hospital emergency preparedness were command and control and post-disaster recovery. Surge capacity was considered less frequently. Conclusion: We recommend considering the proposed disaster categories by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). In this framework, different weights for nine components can be considered based on disaster categories. Thus, a more valid and reliable preparedness checklist could be developed.

Building an Evaluation Instrument for China's Hospital Emergency Preparedness: A Systematic Review of Preparedness Instruments

ObjectivesThe aim of this report is to identify from the literature common themes relating to the concept of hospital preparedness for emergencies to develop an agreed framework for evaluation.MethodA systematic literature search identified appropriate articles for critical appraisal. A meta-ethnography approach was used to synthesize the findings, using both reciprocal translation and line-of-argument synthesis.ResultsFrom an initial 2162 articles, we identified 13 articles that specifically addressed the aims of this review and formed the basis of the intended analysis.ConclusionHospital emergency preparedness is essential for effective disaster relief. Developing a systematic and structured methodology is necessary to assess hospital preparedness. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness: 2014:0:1-9)

(A290) Coordinated Hospital Disaster Response: A Detailed Assessment of Leadership

IntroductionThe Hospital Preparedness Program, prompted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, emphasizes the value of developing coordinated response capabilities by community leaders. Immediately following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, this study examined the hospital emergency preparedness coordinators' leadership style and applied leadership theory to Louisiana planners as an integral part of a complex National Response Framework. This regionally coordinated system remains in place today and has been tested a minimum of 15 times in hurricane activations and state-wide exercises and drills.MethodsThree hospital groups participated: (1) regional coordinators representing nine geographic areas; (2) coordinators at acute care facilities; and (3) coordinators at non-acute care facilities. A total of 744 study participants represented over 150 hospitals. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass, 1995) assessed three dimensions of leadership style and the Emergency Preparedness Indicator assessed planning priorities, performance ratings, demographic variables of gender, education, and Healthcare Performance Partners (HPP) planning experience and disaster declarations.ResultsTransformational leadership was highest among all three groups and included characteristic of: idealized influence, idealized behaviors, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. Transactional leadership was highest (but still lower than transformational) among the non-acute care group and included characteristics of: contingent reward and management by exception (both active and passive). Gender and education were not significant predictors of leadership style but positive associations of time spent on emergency preparedness activities were found.ConclusionsPrevious studies reported the relationship of transformational leadership style to cohesion scores of 2.1. This study expands those results by further detailing leadership styles to the hospital emergency preparedness coordinator. It builds on a standardized approach to assess coordinator leadership style and effectiveness measures.