Module 3: Hazard identification & Vulnerability assessment

Disaster Planning

addresses the problem posed by various potential events, ranging in scale from mass casualty incidents

Health preparedness

• vital framework to plan, operationalize, and evaluate their ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies

prevention

the capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual act of terrorism

protection

the capabilities necessary to secure the homeland against acts of terrorism and manmade or natural disasters

Mitigation

• the capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disaster

• long –term activities-minimize potential adverse effects of future disaster

• include both hazards and vulnerabilities

response

• the capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred

• designed to address the immediate and short-term effects of the onset of an emergency or disaster such as artifacts salvage and relocation within 48 – 72 hours

Recovery

• the capabilities necessary to assist communities affected by a incident to recover effectively

• Long-term activities and programs beyond the initial crisis period of an emergency or disaster designed to return all systems to normal status

6 domains of preparedness

1. community resilience

2. incident management

3. information management

4. countermeasures and mitigation

5. surge management

6. biosurveillance

Common challenges to address proactively

• communication

• information management

• coordination

• advance warning and use of evacuation areas

• surge management

hazard identification and mapping

• determine which events are most likely to affect the community

• make decisions about who or what to protect as the basis of establishing measure

• data are mapped using areal photography, satellite imagery, geographic information

Vulnerability analysis

Determine:

• who is most likely to be affected

• property most likely to be damaged or destroyed

• capacity of the community to deal with the effects of the disaster

Creation

• analysis prevention plan

Risk assessment

• uses the results of the hazard identification and vulnerability analysis to determine the probability of a specified outcome

• risk = hazard x vulnerability

core preparedness activities

1. prepare a theoretical foundation

2. disaster planning is only as effective as the assumptions upon which it is based

3. core preparedness activities must go beyond the routine

4. community needs assessment

5. identify leadership and management

6. design a local response for the first 72 hours

7. identification and accommodation of vulnerable population

8. groups and organizations

9. identification of training and educational needs, resources and PPE.

10. plan for the early conduct of damage assessment

Internal disasters

• disrupts the everyday, routine services of the medical facility

• may or may not occur simultaneously with an external event

• plans and training should be integrated with the hospital’s protocol

alert phase

staff remain in position and wait for further instruction from the nurse leaders

response phase

designated staff report to supervisor for further instructions, response plan activated

Expanded response phase

when additional personnel are required, reassignment of staff

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization

• an international accreditation to all hospitals which requires all hospitals to have comprehensive plans both internal and external disasters

• created the International patient safety goals to be a guideline to all hospitals

managing Bioterrorism/ Communicable disease

1. recognition that a potential outbreak is occurring

2. investigation of the source, mode of transmission, and risk factors for infection

3. implementation of appropriate control measures

Emergency management cycle

• aims to reduce or avoid the potential losses from hazards

• assure prompt and appropriate assistance and rapid and effective recovery

• cyclical process and never complete

preparedness

activities, programs, and systems that exist before an emergency and that are used to enhance response to an emergency or disaster