Evidence-based support for the all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness

Israel Journal of Health Policy Research

Yaron Bar-Dayan²  Daniel Laor¹  Robert Cohen¹  Avishay Goldberg²  Bruria Adini³ 

[1] PREPARED research center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel;Department of Emergency Medicine, Leon and Mathilda Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel;PREPARED Research Center and the Department of Emergency Medicine, The Leon and Mathilda Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B 653, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel

关键词: Mass casualty events;    Evaluation;    All-hazards approach;    Evidence-based;    Emergency preparedness;   

Others  :  805171
DOI  :  10.1186/2045-4015-1-40

 received in 2012-07-05, accepted in 2012-08-21,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

During the last decade there has been a need to respond and recover from various types of emergencies including mass casualty events (MCEs), mass toxicological/chemical events (MTEs), and biological events (pandemics and bio-terror agents). Effective emergency preparedness is more likely to be achieved if an all-hazards response plan is adopted.

Objectives

To investigate if there is a relationship among hospitals' preparedness for various emergency scenarios, and whether components of one emergency scenario correlate with preparedness for other emergency scenarios.

Methods

Emergency preparedness levels of all acute-care hospitals for MCEs, MTEs, and biological events were evaluated, utilizing a structured evaluation tool based on measurable parameters. Evaluations were made by professional experts in two phases: evaluation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) followed by a site visit. Relationships among total preparedness and different components' scores for various types of emergencies were analyzed.

Results

Significant relationships were found among preparedness for different emergencies. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for biological events correlated with preparedness for all investigated emergency scenarios. Strong correlations were found between training and drills with preparedness for all investigated emergency scenarios.

Conclusions

Fundamental critical building blocks such as SOPs, training, and drill programs improve preparedness for different emergencies including MCEs, MTEs, and biological events, more than other building blocks, such as equipment or knowledge of personnel. SOPs are especially important in unfamiliar emergency scenarios. The findings support the adoption of an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Adini et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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