b'INFECTIOUS DISEASE GUIDE|Use the Tools at Your DisposalT here are obviously a great number of variables that must be included in any disaster preparedness plan, says Chris Page, RN, director of management and technology consulting at Mazars USA, the global audit, accounting and consulting firm.First and foremost, it is critical to have the ability to secure and store patient records in offsite locations where they can be accessed during any disruption using already created and approved downtime procedures, says Page. Effective hospital disaster plans also include specific areas that should be considered thoroughly during development.These areas include, but are not limited to:Clear understanding of the vehicles of communication to be used during a disruption Organizational resilience plans to cover business continuity, disaster recovery, emergencymanagement/response, and crisis managementPlans to manage disruptions to facilities, technology, and critical personnelAbility to relocate staff and patients to unaffected areas or including alternate locations(where available) Ability to activate alternative supply chain procedures and manual workaroundsOf course, there are no shortage of resources available to help hospitals revise and update existing disaster plans, to ensure that these and other areas are covered. The American College of Emergency Physicians, for instance, developed a downloadable self-assessment tool based on The Hospital Emergency Analysis Tool (HEAT) and the ACEP text, Community Medical Disaster Planning and Evaluation Guide. The 44-page document touches on dozens of components of disaster planning, from clinical operations and logistics to safety and media relations, with the goal of providing an excellent checklist to assure every aspect of disaster planning is addressed, according to ACEP.REFERENCEThe American College of Emergency Physicians, 2013, Accessed 2/18/2020 [https://www.calhospitalprepare.org/post/hospital-disaster-preparedness-self-assessment-tool]communications. From there, the team is invited to an exerciseUltimately, hospital leadership and other or a series of exercises to test the plan. employees responsible for creating and main-EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS KEY The employees that comprise this team willtaining a comprehensive disaster prepared-Indeed, a disaster preparedness plan is notvary by hospital, of course. But, as with anyness plan must keep in mind that the process very effective if not properly communicatedenterprise-wide effort, buy-in at the execu- is an ongoing one, and always allows room for to the employees who must execute it shouldtive level is critical, says Raymond Holcomb,improvement. the time come.president and managing director at 1st WatchAfter each exercise, there is a process to Carrying out communication efforts is anGlobal, whose services include crisis manage- identify opportunities to improve the writ-incremental process. ment and emergency response, and businessten doctrine and the team itself, says Brown. For example, initial communications mightcontinuity of operations planning. Then, the process from awareness to team include a straightforward message to all theThis might include hospital administra- exercises begins again.nappropriate employees simply informingtors (doctors and nurses), hospital security them that a plan exists, followed by aware- (either in-house or third-party), human ser- REFERENCESness training demonstrating why the planvices, mechanical/plant/facilities personnel,1.The Joint Commission, 2019, Accessedis important and how to report a potentialmedia and/or public relations, and hospital IT,2/17/2020, [https://www.calhospitalpre-emergency situation, says Brown.for instance.pare.org/emergency-operations-plan]Then its a matter of inviting those thatEducating this groupwhoever it2.Centers for Medicare & Medicaidmight become involved on the leadership teamincludescan be done via tabletop exer- Services, 2019, Accessed 2/18/2020,to an introductory meeting, he continues. Atcises with selected staff and first respond- 3. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/[that point the team is invited to participate iners, in-house e-learning platforms, in-serviceProvider-Enrollment-and-guided training that is more specific to deci- training days for workforce management orCertification/SurveyCertEmergPrep/sions, vision and internal communications.silent drills, for example.Emergency-Prep-Rule] 12 INFECTIOUS DISEASE GUIDE|2020| www.elitecme.com'