Healthcare Solutions
Vocera and other wireless technologies are becoming part of hospital disaster preparedness plans. Read the complete white paper.
To maintain order and efficient patient flow and response, all hospitals in the United States have developed disaster or emergency preparedness plans that outline chains of command, communication procedures, and other important protocols to keep the hospital running in a crisis. According to Dr. Keith Conover, a surgeon and member of the Hospital Disaster Committee for Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, there are several characteristics all preparedness plans must have to be “effective and practical,” including:
- Completeness: The disaster plan must anticipate and provide for all aspects of disaster operations and outline procedures for a multitude of emergency medical contingencies.
- Simplicity: A simple, well-designed disaster preparedness plan will minimize the potential for mistakes in an actual emergency.
- Adaptability: Procedures outlined must be adaptable to a variety of situations and unforeseen circumstances.
- Compatibility: Hospitals generally operate independently. However, in the case of a large-scale incident, it is important to have a plan that can be easily coordinated with assisting hospitals and agencies.
- Delineation of Authority: According to Dr. Conover, “An operation involving many people of different backgrounds, capabilities, and training can succeed only if the standards of the disaster plan are enforced by a unified leadership with a well-defined hierarchy.”
Recognizing the importance of these factors and the development of a thorough, efficient disaster preparedness plan provides hospitals a defined process to follow when a crisis occurs. Read the complete white paper.
Related
Emergin Healthcare Case Study
– Abbott Northwestern's Heart Hospital
Technology's Role in Addressing Maryland's Nursing Shortage: Innovations & Examples, Maryland Statewide Commission on the Crisis in Nursing, January 2004
"There is a 2-minute alarm notification delay to my pager. I get the notification in 5 seconds on my Vocera."
Deb GreenNICU Nurse Manager
Phoenix Children's Hospital
