SMJ articles in the category "Healthcare System Preparedness"

Original Article

Long-Term Impact of Environmental Public Health Disaster on Health System Performance: Experiences from the Graniteville, South Carolina Chlorine Spill

Objectives: In the aftermath of an environmental public health disaster (EPHD) a healthcare system may be the least equipped entity to respond. Preventable visits for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions (ACSCs) may be used as a population-based indicator to monitor health system access postdisaster. The objective of this study was to examine…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Review Article

Vertical Hospital Evacuations: A New Method

Rarely are hospitals forced to evacuate their nonambulatory patients; however, when a disaster occurs, evacuating nonambulatory patients, particularly from multilevel facilities, represents a major logistical hurdle. Hospital disaster plans often rely on outside agencies and limited equipment to perform vertical evacuations. This article describes a novel method using readily available…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Original Article

Complete Self-Sufficiency Planning: Designing and Building Disaster-Ready Hospitals

Objectives: The need for healthcare systems and academic medical centers to be optimally prepared in the event of a disaster is well documented. Events such as Hurricane Katrina demonstrate a major gap in disaster preparedness for at-risk medical institutions. To address this gap, we outline the components of complete self-sufficiency…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Review Article

Burn Disaster Preparedness and the Southern Region of the United States

Disasters with significant numbers of burn-injured patients create incredible challenges for disaster planners. Although not unique to burn care, high-intensity areas of speciality such as burns, pediatrics, and trauma quickly become scarce resources in a disaster. All disasters are local, but regional support is critical in burn disaster planning. On…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Original Article

Regional Approach to Competency-Based Patient Care Provider Disaster Training: The Center for Health Professional Training and Emergency Response

Objectives: This article details the development of the Center for Health Professional Training and Emergency Response (CHPTER), including its innovative, competency-based emergency preparedness training (EPT) curriculum, and the results of a regional preparedness workforce assessment. Methods: CHPTER was established in 2009 with the goal of enhancing regional health security and…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Review Article

Use of Medical Simulation to Teach Bioterrorism Preparedness: The Anthrax Example

The 2001 anthrax bioterrorism attacks demonstrated vulnerability for future similar attacks. This article describes mechanisms that can be used to prepare the medical community and healthcare facilities for the diagnosis and management of a subsequent bioterrorism attack should such an event occur and the fundamentals of medical simulation and its…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Original Article

Using Appendiceal Perforation Rates to Measure Impact of a Disaster on Healthcare System Effectiveness

Objectives: To understand baseline inequities in appendiceal perforation rates and the impact of hurricane destruction on the healthcare system with respect to perforation rates and racial disparities. Methods: We used claims data extracted from Medicaid Analytic Extract files to identify appendicitis diagnoses in children and adolescents based on International Classification…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Review Article

Sarin Exposure: A Simulation Case Scenario

Given the current geopolitical tensions, the risk of a terrorist attack on the United States is constant and increasing. Chemical terrorism, specifically the use of nerve agents, has occurred in other nations. Because of the ease of manufacture, the ability to conceal them, and the lethality of these agents, they…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Review Article

Austere, Remote, and Disaster Medicine Missions: An Operational Mnemonic Can Help Organize a Deployment

Medical care in resource-limited environments (austere settings) can occur in the context of a disaster, wilderness, or a tactical field operation. Regardless of the type of environment, there are common organizational themes in most successful humanitarian missions that occur in harsh natural or manmade environmental conditions. These principles prioritize the…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10

Review Article

High-Level Specification of a Proposed Information Architecture for Support of a Bioterrorism Early-Warning System

Current information systems for use in detecting bioterrorist attacks lack a consistent, overarching information architecture. An overview of the use of biological agents as weapons during a bioterrorist attack is presented. Proposed are the design, development, and implementation of a medical informatics system to mine pertinent databases, retrieve relevant data,…

Posted in: Healthcare System Preparedness 10
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