The clinic launches and maintains an Emergency Preparedness Program intended to manage the aftermath of natural catastrophes or other disasters that disrupt the clinic’s ability to provide care. Hospitals are required to have an emergency operations plan that describes how a facility will respond to and recover from all hazards. It is significant that nurses be involved in planning and preparing for community emergencies.
The response to the situation is tailored based on six critical areas of emergency management. According to Ballard and Grant (2013), the six critical elements are “public services, resources and possessions, safety and security, staff errands, utility management, and patient clinical and sustenance activities” (p. 175). It is essential for the clinic staff to learn and be able to apply the Emergency Preparedness Plan in the case of an extreme situation in order to save the patients.
If a catastrophe or an emergency involves the hospital or staff members, all less-than-essential service areas should be momentarily revised or discontinued until the circumstances allow the resumption of full-program ability. Under any circumstances, irrespective of cause, the skills nurses need to have in order to respond efficiently are principally the same (Gebbie & Kureshi, 2002). In the author’s organization, staff members normally involved in the provision of services determined to be less than essential make themselves available for other duties. These duties may include helping move patients from the affected area of the clinic to an unaffected section.
These staff members are also responsible for providing any patient transportation devices, such as wheelchairs, wagons, and so on, to simplify the movement or evacuation of patients from the hospital. A final report that includes the critique and the improvement plan should be made available to all staff because their continued investment in the continuous improvement of emergency preparedness and the response are key to the organization’s performance.
Following through with the changes identified is going to demonstrate to the staff that emergency preparedness is valued and important (Veenema, 2003). To verify that the plan is embraced by all employees, emergency preparedness in the author’s organization is built into the culture of the practice. Orientation sessions for new employees include an overview of the contents and a copy of the plan, in addition to the employee manual (Baum & McDaniel, 2009).
According to the Issues in Nursing by Specialty: 2012 Edition, “nurses should be perfectly equipped with the skills, knowledge, and training needed to plan and implement emergency preparedness programs” (p. 46). Nurses in the author’s organization do possess those essential traits. They have the ability to serve on rescue teams, perform patient assessments, and deliver care. These nurses are crucial to the programs for catastrophic events that affect people. Helping children and adolescents cope with disasters is also one of the most important issues (Burkhart & Krau, 2013). In the author’s organization, the key strategy is to involve them directly in the preparedness activities.
To sum up, the author states that the interview dwelled on most of the indispensable points of a correct Emergency Preparedness Plan. It can also be concluded that the author’s organization functions in accordance with the requirements of the plan, and its staff possesses all the necessary skills and knowledge to provide care and help its patients in case of an emergency.
References
Ballard, D. C., & Grant, P. D. (2013). Fast Facts about Nursing and the Law: Law for Nurses in a Nutshell. Berlin: Springer Publishing Company.
Baum, N., & McDaniel, J. W. (2009). Disaster Planning for the Clinical Practice. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Burkhart, P. V., & Krau, S. D. (2013). Pediatrics. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Gebbie, K. M., & Qureshi, K. (2002). Emergency and Disaster Preparedness: Core Competencies for Nurses. American Journal of Nursing, 102(1), 46-51. Web.
Issues in Nursing by Specialty: 2012 Edition (2013). Atlanta, GA: Scholarly Editions.
Veenema, T. G. (2003). Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Terrorism and other Hazards (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Pub.