 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Laurie Darcy, MPH1, Barbara I. Braun, PhD2, Kristie Ryan, MS3, John Fishbeck, BS1, and James Robertson, BS1. (1) Division of Research, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, (2) Department of Research, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 1 Renaissance Blvd, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, 630-792-5928, ldarcy@jcaho.org, (3) Division of Accreditation Operations, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
In April 2001, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations undertook a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of the linkages between accredited hospitals and other key entities, (e.g., the public health infrastructure, law enforcement, and emergency preparedness systems) in identifying and responding to bioterrorism. Using a 51-item mailed questionnaire with subsequent on-site validation by surveyors, hospitals were asked about their current level of coordination and communication among entities in four areas: 1) hospital specific emergency management plans for bioterrorism; 2) community-wide emergency management plans for bioterrorism; 3) community coordination efforts of various departments/ services in the hospital as they relate to an emergency management plan; and 4) organization demographic information. The sample consisted of all non-specialty hospitals eligible for an accreditation survey visit from late April through May, 2001 (N=82). Sixty-nine questionnaires were analyzed (84% response). Thirty-two (46%) of the respondents reported having institution-specific bioterrorism response plans in place, 25 of which were prepared in partnership with other entities (local emergency planning committee (LEPC), local and state health departments, local fire and police, or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)). Thirteen hospitals had conducted bioterrorism preparedness drills; 7 did so annually. Eleven included other community response agencies, e.g. local health department or local fire/EMS/police in their drills. Thirty-three hospitals (48%) reported having community-wide response plans; 20 indicated they participated in preparation and coordination of the plan. Most participated in a system that in real time identified the availability of acute care beds (58%) and ICU beds (61%) within the community, however, most cannot determine the availability of isolation beds for common illness (57%) or airborne disease (58%). Twenty-two (32%) reported having community-wide protocols for accommodating large scale decontamination and isolation requirements. The majority (78%) had a mechanism to redirect EMS responders if their ED reaches capacity, however almost 40% had no protocol for transferring “walk-in” patients to other facilities when needed. During on-site validation of responses (N=55), surveyors found fewer hospitals actually had a bioterrorism plan than reported (29% vs. 46%), in part because some organizations did not mention issues unique to bioterrorism in their overall emergency management plan. The results of this pilot study suggested that in early 2001, less than one half of the hospitals were specifically addressing bioterrorism in their emergency planning. A follow-up survey is planned in 2002 to assess changes over time in relation to national events.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Bioterrorism, Hospitals
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Funding source: Funded in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality through a subcontract from Science Applications International Corporation.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.