THE MDH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM
2005 / 2006
(Derived from 1992 Plan Prepared by Dr. Reynaldo O. Joson)
Content
I. Philosophy
II. Objectives
III. Scopes of MDH Disaster Preparedness Plan
IV. Definition and Types of Disasters Faced by a Hospital
V. Organizational Structure of MDH Disaster Preparedness Program
VI. MDH Disaster Preparedness Committee
VII. Disaster Control Officer
VIII. Declaration of Disaster
IX. Disaster Response Teams
X. Departmental Disaster Preparedness Plans
XI. General Disaster Control Flow Chart
XII. External Disaster Preparedness Plans
XIII. Internal Disaster Preparedness Plans
XIV. Orientation, Training, and Drills
XV. Press Conferences
XVI. Essential Steps in Disaster Control and Management
XVII. Evaluation of MDH Disaster Preparedness Program
I. PHILOSOPHY
Conscious of our responsibility to have a
preparedness to meet the needs of the patients and the community in disaster
situations, we are committed to the development of a disaster preparedness
program at the
II. OBJECTIVES
The primary objective is to avoid disasters within the hospital as much as possible.
The secondary objective is to prepare the hospital personnel and organizational resources for optimal performance during times of disaster. The aims are to prevent death and injuries to patients and hospital personnel; to avoid destruction to hospital properties; and to render medical services to the largest possible number of patients during a disaster.
The tertiary objective is to make the hospital personnel and the community aware of the importance of the disaster preparedness program, how it is executed, and the benefits it provides.
III. SCOPE OF THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM
A. General Disaster Control Flow Chart
B. External Disaster Preparedness Plan
C. Internal Disaster Preparedness Plan
D. Departmental Disaster Preparedness Plan
E. Response Teams' Disaster Preparedness Plan
IV. DEFINITION AND TYPES OF DISASTER FACED BY HOSPITALS
Disaster is any event which overwhelms the person or a group of persons facing it. The overwhelming can be in terms of psychosocial impact, destruction of property, injuries to or diseases of human beings, and scarcity of resources.
Any event that is of a magnitude that overwhelms the administration of the hospital is a disaster in the hospital.
Thus, a person in the hospital developing a cardiopulmonary arrest is a disaster.
If the influx of patients or injured victims into the hospital overwhelms the usually available personnel, supplies, and facilities, this too is a disaster.
A fire breaking out within the hospital is by itself a disaster. What more if persons and properties are lost as a result of the fire. A fire in the vicinity of the hospital is also a disaster faced by the hospital administration.
An earthquake, a flood, and a typhoon involving the hospital are also considered disasters.
An explosion within the hospital and a strike by hospital employees are likewise hospital disasters.
The following are basic disaster situations that any hospital may face and the primary responses required of them:
|
DISASTER SITUATION |
PRIMARY HOSPITAL RESPONSE |
|
INTERNAL DISASTERS Disasters within the hospital (fire, explosion, strikes, etc.) |
-Evacuation of patients and personnel from threatened or affected areas
|
|
EXTERNAL DISASTERS Community disasters |
-Expansion of usual hospital resources to care for sudden and tremendous influx of patients |
|
DISASTER THREATS Either in the hospital or in the community (fire in the vicinity, impending typhoons, floods, bomb threats, etc.) |
- Precautionary evacuation, either partial or total - Alert notification to staff and outside cooperating agencies - Preparation of reserve equipments and supplies |
V. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
MDH HOSPITAL DIRECTOR
MDH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE
DISASTER CONTROL OFFICER
DISASTER RESPONSE TEAMS
HOSPITAL DEPARTMENTS AND SERVICES
Emergency Medical
Services Department
Medical Staff
Nursing Staff
Admitting and
Information Service
Security Service
Facility
Management Department
Human Resources
Division
Medical Records
Section
Laboratory
Medicine Department
Radiology
Department
Central Service
Operating Room
Department
Delivery Room
Department
Intensive Care
Department
Newborn Intensive
Care Department
Pharmacy Services
Linen and
Housekeeping Services
Dietary Service
VI. THE MDH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE
A. Functions
1. To coordinate and collaborate in the preparation, organization, implementation, and regulation of the MDH Disaster Preparedness Plan.
2. To develop procedures to orient and train new as well as bonafide hospital personnel in their disaster-related responsibilities so as to ensure a state of preparedness at all times.
3. To monitor the implementation of the plan and arrange for periodic drills and simulation exercises.
4. To periodically review and revise the provisions of the disaster preparedness plan as needs may dictate.
5. To appoint an annual disaster control officer.
6. To assume general responsibility for the hospital's preparedness in the event of a disaster.
7. To relate the hospital's Disaster Preparedness Plan to other community disaster plans.
B. Composition
1. Chairman To be
appointed by the Hospital Director
2.
Disaster
Control Officer To be appointed by the Hospital Director
3.
Chairman,
Emergency Medical Services Department
4.
Chairman,
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Team
5.
Medical
Director or his/her representative
6.
Nursing
Director or her/his representative
7.
Operations
and Hospitality Director or his/her representative
8.
Head of Facility Management Department
9.
Head of Linen and Housekeeping Service
10. Head of Security
Service
11. Head, Admitting, Information,
and Telephone Service
VII. THE DISASTER CONTROL OFFICER
A. Functions
1. Acts as the executive director of the MDH Disaster Preparedness Program.
2. Ensures that basic provisions of the plan are disseminated to all hospital personnel and appropriate drills and exercises are scheduled.
3. Maintains liaison with local disaster agencies, such as Civil Defense, Red Cross, Fire Department, Police Department, and other hospitals.
4. Takes necessary actions to ensure a safe and efficient operation of the hospital in an emergency.
5. Is responsible for the initiation and activation of the hospital's Disaster Preparedness Plan.
B. Designation of MDH Disaster Control Officer
There will be an annual designation of the MDH Disaster Control Officer by the Hospital Director and the Disaster Preparedness Committee.
VIII. DECLARATION OF DISASTER
Any hospital personnel can declare the presence of a disaster once he discovers it but this has to be transmitted to the Disaster Control Officer as soon as possible.
IX. DISASTER RESPONSE TEAMS
Depending on the type of disaster, the following response teams shall be paged:
|
Disaster |
Response Team |
|
Non-intubated adult patient with impending or evident cardiopulmonary arrest |
Code Blue |
|
Pediatric patient with potential or evident cardiopulmonary arrest |
Code Baby Blue |
|
Patient influx |
Code White |
|
Security |
Code Tango |
|
Fire and explosion |
Code Red |
*Code Green means
the disaster has been controlled
- Code BLUE call for Cardiopulmonary Arrest Team
(Adult)
- Code BABY BLUE call for Cardiopulmonary Arrest
Team (Pedia)
- Code RED call for Fire Brigade Team
- Code WHITE call for more medical and nursing
staff assistance
- Code TANGO call for Security Team
- Code GREEN means the disaster has been
controlled
X. DEPARTMENTAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANS
All heads of departments and services in the hospital shall make plans and procedures for disaster preparedness. It will include a contact and recall personnel system, assignment of personnel to positions, descriptions of duties and responsibilities during disaster, and estimated requirements for supplies and equipments. These departmental plans will be incorporated into the overall master plan of the hospital.
XI.
General Disaster Control Flow Chart
DECLARATION OF DISASTER
By any hospital personnel
By Disaster Control
Officer
PAGING OF DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM
Cardiopulmonary arrest - Code Blue, Code Baby Blue
Fire and explosions - Code Red
Patient influx - Code White
Security - Code
Tango
ACTIVATION OF DEPARTMENTAL DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS PLANS
CONTROL OF DISASTER
XII.
External Disaster Preparedness Plans
1. DISASTER OUTSIDE THE
HOSPITAL
The Scene
Response Team will be paged. This team is composed of qualified physicians,
nurses, ambulance driver, and orderlies.
This team will respond when there is a call for such services. [This will form part of the social
responsibility program of the Hospital.]
The functions of
the Team are:
- To perform on scene triage
classification and to determine priority in transportation to any hospital.
- To render life-saving first-aid
measures.
- To direct the proper transportation
of the injured to any designated hospital.
- To tag all patients given treatment
at the scene. On each tag should be stated
medication and treatment given.
2. PATIENT INFLUX DISASTER
The MDH
Emergency Room Officer will declare the disaster. He may page CODE WHITE for
additional manpower to the ER. He may
activate the departmental preparedness plans.
The triage is
the key to effective management of a sudden inflow of disaster casualties. The principal objectives are:
- To receive the disaster victims.
- To make a rapid classification (not
identification) of casualties and
conduct them to appropriate treatment areas:
Red for critical care patients or classified as
priority one
Yellow for acute care patients or classified as
priority two
Green for primary care patients or classified as
priority three
Black for non-salvageable patients
XIII. Internal Disaster Preparedness Plans
I. Fires,
Explosions, Earthquake, and Bomb Threats
Any hospital
personnel may declare the presence of the disaster. The Disaster Control Officer and the
Hospital Director or his representative must be notified.
Code RED Team
and/or Code TANGO will be paged depending on the type of disaster. Code WHITE may also be called. The departmental disaster
preparedness plans may also have to be activated.
II. Strikes
The Hospital
Director will declare strike as a disaster.
XIV. ORIENTATION, TRAINING, AND DRILLS
1. All hospital personnel will be oriented to the hospital's Disaster Preparedness Plan.
2. There will be training and drills at least once a year (twice a year for fire and earthquake).
XV. PRESS CONFERENCE
Only the Disaster Control Officer and the Hospital Director or his designated representative can give a press conference regarding disasters in the hospital.
XVI. ESSENTIAL STEPS IN DISASTER CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT
|
Essential steps |
Yes |
No |
Remarks |
|
Declaration of disaster |
|
|
|
|
Creation
of an incident command |
|
|
|
|
Notification
of Disaster Control Officer |
|
|
|
|
Chair,
Disaster Preparedness Committee |
|
|
|
|
Hospital Director |
|
|
|
|
Concerned
Division and Department Heads |
|
|
|
|
Mobilization
and organization (task assignment and authorization) of staff |
|
|
|
|
Mobilization
of ancillary services (laboratory, x-ray, pharmacy, etc) |
|
|
|
|
Control
of disaster Triage |
|
|
|
|
Treatment |
|
|
|
|
Referrals / Transport |
|
|
|
|
Traffic control |
|
|
|
|
Patient log |
|
|
|
|
Relatives Information Area |
|
|
|
|
Press conference |
|
|
|
|
Decongestion
and post-disaster reconstruction |
|
|
|
|
Post-disaster
evaluation and reporting |
|
|
|
XVII. EVALUATION OF MDH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM
|
Parameters |
Yes |
No |
Remarks |
|
There is a written hospital disaster preparedness plan (hdpp). |
Yes |
|
|
|
There are written department disaster preparedness plans (ddpp). |
|
|
|
|
There is a structured hdpp and ddpp with ddpp cascaded from and integrated into hdpp. |
|
|
|
|
The hdpp is disseminated to all heads of units and to least 80% of the hospital personnel. |
|
|
|
|
The ddpp is disseminated to at least 80% of the department personnel. |
|
|
|
|
The hdpp is being used in real disasters or simulated disasters (at least once a year). |
|
|
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The ddpp is being used in real disasters or simulated disasters (at least once a year). |
|
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The hdpp and ddpp are being evaluated at least after each real disaster and updated thereafter (at least once every 2 years). |
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