Emergency Planning and Preparedness

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Emergency Planning and Preparedness

• Howard W. Levitin, M.D., FACEP
• Emergency Physician and Consultant
• Disaster Planning International

• Sue Losch Skidmore, R.N., B.S.N.
• Associate
• Booz Allen Hamilton

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Phase One Findings

• Readiness efforts occurring independently
• No nationally accepted measures of preparedness
• Staffing
• Treatment capacity
• Stockpiling of resources
• Communications
• Security
• Mass Prophylaxis vaccination
• Bed utilization
• Emergency department overcrowding
• Emergency medical services
• Administrative support is key to readiness

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Phase Two

• The first questionnaire was revised to include
• issues related to regional health care
  facilities/systems bioterrorism preparedness
• objective measures that users need to interpret
  the results of the questionnaire
• best practices

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Historically

• No evidence that the data gathered predicts
  preparedness
• No established measures of bioterrorism
  preparedness
• No generally accepted scenario to base
  preparedness
• Most assessment tools have not been evaluated for
  validity
• Most assessment tools have not obtained national
  buy-in

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Validity

• Pooled 12 of the leading assessment tools
• Each question rated by expert panel on
  relevance/pertinence
• Working group reviewed all findings

• JCAHO
• MD Department of Health Mental Hygiene
• Inova Health System
• University of Texas
• DC Hospital Association
• Delaware Division of Public Health
• PA Department of Public Health
• IL Department of Public Health
• Vanderbilt University

• NJ Department of Health Senior Services
• Baltimore City Health Department
• Battelle
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• Disaster Planning International
• University of Maryland
• University of West Virginia
• Emory University

• Utilized the expertise of The Myers Group a
  national survey market research firm

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Design Criteria

• Issues under the direct responsibility control
  of hospital leadership
• Unique response requirements of a bioterrorism
  event only
• Regional issues that only involve hospital
  participation roles
• Questions will be designed for benchmarking
  purposes
• Must be relevant to preparedness capacity
• Each question must be tied to objective measures
  of readiness

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Focus

• Regional linkages
• Bioterrorism planning structure
• Training exercise
• Triage, diagnosis treatment
• Infection control, decontamination isolation
• Public health surveillance

• Surge capacity space utilization
• Laboratory
• Pharmacy mass immunization
• Safety psych support
• Information systems
• Public relations

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Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Questionnaire
Readiness

• Standardize definitions of preparedness
  capacity
• Peer-reviewed readiness milestones will be
  developed
• The ability to benchmark readiness measure
  readiness progress
• Data gathered can be used to model readiness
• Developing a national standard creates allows for
  research

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For more information about the first phase of the
AHRQ-sponsored project and a copy of the original
questionnaire, "BioterrorismEmergency Planning
and Preparedness Questionnaire for
HealthcareFacilities," please visit
www.ahrq.gov/research/sep02/0902ra23.htm