Lesson 6 Implementing the Disaster Plan in a Health Care Facility

Study Guide

This lesson presents a detailed, complex description of the procedures, sequence, and roles of personnel involved in implementing a disaster plan. It clearly demonstrates the chaos and confusion that would result without such a plan. The student will not be accountable for all of the details, but rather for the concepts they represent. If the student becomes involved in developing a disaster plan, this lesson will serve as a valuable reference.

Learning Objectives

Understand the importance of a clearly defined, detailed procedure for declaration that a disaster plan is in operation.

Appreciate the complexity of alerting units and departments that the disaster plan is being put into immediate operation.

Know how the triage procedure at the health care facility functions.

Describe the roles of the triage, major treatment, and minor treatment areas.

Describe the roles of the switchboard operator, family information center, and director of public information in keeping the community informed.

Learning Activities

Read pages 37-60 in the manual.

Note pages 103 and 104 in the manual (Annex 8,9).

Evaluation

Complete the Self-Assessment Test.

Notes

Lesson 6
Self-Assessment Test

Matching

Match the individual with his or her responsibility under disaster conditions.

Individual

__ 1. supervisor in charge of hospital security

__ 2. switchboard operator

__ 3. chairperson of the hospital disaster committee

__ 4. hospital administrator

Responsibility

a. checks that a person has been assigned to handle the telephone during the disaster

b. sends a supply of patient identification tags to the triage area

c. determines the number of beds available and sees that needed off-duty personnel are mobilized

d. contacts all persons included in the disaster notification list

Hospital disaster plans should have clear notification procedures to follow. Match the individuals, who should be notified, with those who have the responsibility forgiving notification. A letter may be used more than once, or not at all.

To be notified/receive instructions

__ 5. senior resident in the emergency ward

__ 6. emergency ward

__ 7. chairperson of the disaster committee

__ 8. people in the emergency room

__ 9. assistant to the director of the hospital

__ 10. chief of operating rooms

__ 11. the highest local authority

__ 12. parking lot coordinator

Notifiers

a. switchboard operator
b. information center
c. emergency ward informant
d. head nurse
e. security supervisor
f. chairperson of the disaster committee
g. hospital administrator
h. operating room command post

True/False

Indicate T or F:

__ 13. The procedure for establishing a communications system in a hospital is different if a disaster situation occurs on a weekend instead of regular working hours.

__ 14. Duties of the women's volunteer corps include transportation of patients.

__ 15. A doctor, a nurse, a stretcher bearer and a driver should accompany every hospital ambulance during a disaster.

__ 16. Under disaster conditions, a press area is set up in the hospital's administration offices.

__ 17. Hospital administrative staff wear green armbands in a disaster situation.

__ 18. The make-up of the personnel in a hospital triage area varies depending on the type of disaster.

__ 19. After obtaining sufficient information, the switchboard operator may declare the disaster plan in operation.

__ 20. During a disaster, the hospital switchboard operator will attempt to continue processing normal calls that do not interfere with emergency procedures.

__ 21. Each physician assigned to a triage area must have a copy of the disaster instruction sheet for emergency department staff.

Answer Key