Disaster Preparedness

Disaster medicine is the union of disaster management and emergency medicine, to create a more formalized specialty and to further identify the integration of medicine in the overall disaster preparedness and response system. Disaster defined by the United Nations Disaster Management Training Programme is a serious disruption of the functioning of a society causing widespread human, material, or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope using only its own resources (UNDMTP, 2002). Almost always, disasters, either natural or manmade, strike without warning and leave little lead time for preparedness at prehospital and hospital levels.

It is known that all disasters follow a cyclical pattern, the disaster cycle, otherwise known as the four phases of Emergency Management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation/prevention (Ciottone, 2006). Preparedness encompasses making the community aware of circumstances that have potential for disaster formation and empowering them to cope effectively. It also includes planning and training individuals to identify resources that may be used in times of disaster. Response occurs at the impact of the disaster and represents a time when immediate assistance can save lives. This includes the basic elements of search/rescue, triage and initial stabilization, as well as definitive medical care. The coordination and collaboration of emergency medical teams, public health agencies, and governmental agencies initiates the recovery phase through reconstruction, and it also implies the return of normalcy within the society. Lastly, the mitigation phase refers to the ability to reduce the devastating   effects of disaster before the actual event through education and prevention teachings.  Essentially, mitigation is the “lessons learned” from previous disasters and also serves as a driving force for preparedness initiatives. Within this disaster cycle, emergency medicine specialists play a vital role in all four phases, but they have the most influence during preparedness and response. When disaster strikes, emergency medicines main role is to care for the injured. Depending on the severity of the event that has occurred, it may result in varying injuries and disease patterns. This becomes most important during disaster triage, which involves the task of assigning patients into treatment categories based on predicted survivability. During these times of disaster, health care workers are always faced with increasing ethical challenges in providing sensible care to patients in these types of circumstances. It is important for personnel to maintain ethical reasoning and balance in a field of scarce resources.

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy was churning in the ocean, predicted as one of the largest storms in the Atlantic Ocean.  When it hit land, it was only a category two hurricane, but ended up causing much destruction around the New Jersey shore and New York City.  Many New York City hospitals had activated their disaster preparedness plan and were ready for the worst.  Despite extensive preparations, New York University had to evacuate around 300 patients after a loss of power and failed generators.  In times like this, the uncertainty and chaos can over come many individuals, but NYU’s disaster preparedness team handled the evacuation smoothly, transporting all patients to near by hospitals.  NYU officials successfully coordinated and collaborated with many individuals.  Disaster plans built on the four phases of emergency management can make certain that the organization will stay functional during times of disaster and emergency to provide sound medical care.  Drills and training allow hospital workers to understand and learn procedures that may be necessary during a time of emergency.  A disaster preparedness plan should be simple and easy to execute.  Active disaster preparedness will often lessen the burden of chaos during the initial effects. Using guides published by the different government and public health agencies along with the incorporation of a wide specialty team can often help to imbibe new ideas, plans, and effective training. Threats will always be present, but with adequate planning, practice, and mitigation, disaster preparedness can minimize mortality. Effectiveness in disaster management is molded by the coordination of many individuals, teams, and organizations with stronger disaster preparedness and management skills. Disaster preparedness and management provides a way to draw organization out of chaos while providing efficient patient care.

References:

Ciottone, G. (2006). Disaster Medicine. Philadelphia: Mosby.

United Nations Disaster Management Training Programme (2002, August).United Nations Disaster Management Training Programme. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from

http://ocha.unog.ch/drptoolkit/PreparednessTools/Coordination/role%20and%20responsibilities%20of%20UNDMT.pdf

Initial Reflections on Human Resources

As I reflect on the integral role of human resources, I realize its importance and appreciate the work they do.  My only interaction with human resources early in my career was when I would apply for various jobs and never get call backs for interviews.  This was extremely discouraging and I would think that the human resources staff at the different organizations didn’t really read my application.  While reading the first few chapters of this course, I understand the need for rigorous screening of all applicants.  I realize that often I would blindly apply for positions if I meet at least one criterion.  Recruitment and screening helps identify the most qualified candidates and during the interview process they are able to select the best fit for the position.  As other young college graduates start applying for jobs, they should understand that if they don’t receive a call back from an organization, does not mean they are unsuccessful, they should use the denial of interview as a way to reflect on their skills and find an organization that is a better match.  I’m looking forward to this course and learning how human resources is really the backbone of an organization.

What does Human Resources mean to you and what is their role in your healthcare organizations?

 

One of the first things that comes to mind when I hear human resources is development and sustainability of the workforce for an organization.  Human resources is the core of any organization as they are responsible for generating a group of strong individuals to come together and fulfill the mission and vision of the organization.  Human resources also has the great responsibility of keeping all staff members well trained and educated to be successful in their everyday roles.  They also are charged with offering incentives and benefits to all under an organization, to keep everyone motivated to continue their efforts in their daily duties.  Without a strong human resources management team, an organization may fall short of achieving its mission.  

In my current organization, human resources plays and extremely valuable role.  They charged with handling a majority of day-to-day personnel issues, designing policies which reflect changes at both our institutional level and regulatory level.  Our human resources is also responsible for connecting with outside organizations, such as unions, brokers, etc, to keep the staff up to date regarding any developments that could effect their direct job responsibilities.  The human resources department at my organization is categorized in to five items as follows:  

1. Recruitment and staffing are primarily responsible  for creating recruitment schemes and the screening/interviewing process.  They are dedicated in finding the best qualified candidate's for each job position.  

2. Compensation works to develop competitive salary structures as well as design and implement performance appraisals and job evaluations.  This group is also tasked with maintaining a file for each staff member of the organization.  

3. Benefits administration design and implement benefit programs to provide resources for all staff members

4. Human Resources IT create cost efficient solutions that provide long term system strategies to further develop and support the human resources department as a whole.  

5. Immigration services is in place to provide services to foreign staff members regarding immigration documents.  

 

The human resources department is the life line of the organization.  They provide support to all areas of the organization and usually assist in generating excellent solutions.  They definitely keep our organization running smoothly with very few hiccups.  Hat's off to all those who work within human resources.