Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
hospital for dual use is prohibitive for many organi-
zations. The Joint Commission encourages health
care organizations undertaking new construction
to build for dual use (see Sidebar 2 on page 5
for information about building considerations for
dual use facilities). Health care leaders should also
consider becoming involved in the construction
and planning of new structures, such as libraries,
civic centers, or community centers so that these
buildings can incorporate dual-use concepts into
their construction plans.
Coordinating efforts with local, state, and
federal emergency management planners
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita illustrated that state
and local preparedness is a key factor in a
successful response during the first 24-28 hours
after a disaster. The relationships and agreements
established before a disaster occurs are critical to
an effective emergency response.
Health care organization leaders should evaluate
their surge capacity outside of their own institution
in the context of their local communities as well
as at the regional level (see Sidebar 3 for a list
of issues that leaders should consider regarding
collaborating with other health care organizations
during emergencies).
Sidebar 2. Building code variances
Disaster planning highlights the need for
changes in building code requirements to meet
the demand for high-volume patient care. Most
of these recommendations could also apply
to the new construction of schools, libraries,
hotels, and other buildings in a community.
Some of the variances that health care organi-
zations need to consider include the following:
•
Sidebar 3. Leadership issues for collaborating
with proximate health care organizations
•
What health care organizations are
geographically proximate (all types,
whether offering similar services or not)?
Wide hallways and stairwells to allow
stretchers to pass each other
•
What proximate health care organizations
offer similar services?
•
Redundant power, such as a second gener-
ator or a duplicate electrical system that
serves as a backup for the primary system
•
What resources (such as supplies, beds, and
staff) might be shared or pooled in an emer-
gency response?
•
“Clean” rooms that contain self-
decontaminating surfaces, negative pressure
air-handling systems, and controlled
pressure, temperature, and humidity
•
What might our organization be able to
provide for proximate health care organi-
zations? What provisions can we make to
offer such services/supplies in the event of
a disaster or emergency?
•
Horizontal construction with larger and
faster elevators to avoid bottlenecks when
moving patients to different floors
•
What in-kind or reciprocal agreements
might we make with each organization?
•
Multiple patient drop-off
entrances
to
•
How will we communicate with proximate
health care organizations? Who should be
contacted at each organization?
prevent traffic jams
•
HEPA filter systems that trap biological
agents in incoming air and expose them to
ultraviolet light to render them harmless
•
If care recipients must be evacuated from
our organization, which neighboring organi-
zation could receive transferred individuals?
•
Storage for medical equipment which
protects supplies from biological and radio-
logical threats
•
What suppliers/vendors does each proxi-
mate organization rely on for materials that
might be needed in an emergency? What
are their back-up plans for supplies in case
•
Docking stations to accomodate 18-wheeler
response vans that meet all standards of care
