OBJECTIVE This paper assessed the emergency preparedness programs of health facilities for all-risks but focused on Road Traffic Accidents, (RTA) resulting in surge demand. It adopted W. H. O checklist covering hospital preparedness, equipment, manpower and surge capacity planning as best practices for the mitigation of public health emergencies. METHOD This is a cross-sectional study of purp...

CONTEXT During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2015, close cooperation between the curative sector and the public health sector in the Netherlands was necessary for timely identification, referral, and investigation of patients with suspected Ebola virus disease (EVD). OBJECTIVE In this study, we evaluated experiences in preparedness among stakeholders of both curative and public he...

Background After quickly spreading since March 2009 in Mexico, influenza pandemic H1N1 has affected a large part of the world’s population. Countries have made great efforts to contain the pandemic. An important key in containing community transmission and reducing the impacts of the pandemic influenza is to have local people educated to have good knowledge, attitude and practice toward influen...

STUDY OBJECTIVE We performed an assessment of hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III. METHODS Interviews of hospital personnel were completed in 30 hospitals. Data collected included level of preparedness, mass decontamination capabilities, training of hospital staff, and facility security capabilities. ...

INTRODUCTION This study examined disaster preparedness, risk perception, and their association in rural hospitals in the United States. The focus of disaster preparedness largely has been centered on urban areas, in part because of the perception that more concentrated areas have an increased risk of a disastrous event. Therefore, it was hypothesized that risk perception may be a contributing f...

Introduction: In the United States, 840,000 children are reported missing annually. While no concise data is available on incidence from healthcare facilities, infant and child abductions elopement events pose a high risk to infants hospital staff. Following an update policy at tertiary care in New York, hospital’s emergency preparedness team conducted full-scale drill. The drill included input...

INTRODUCTION In the event of a major chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) attack or a natural disaster, large quantities of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies may be required with little or no warning. Pharmaceutical surge capacity for immediate response, before Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) supplies become available, remains a significant gap in emergency pr...