A unique hospital physician disaster response system for a nonemployed medical staff

Authors

  • James D. Leo, MD, FCCP
  • Desiree Thomas, RN, MSN, CCRN
  • Ginger Alhadeff, BA, RN, MA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2009.0014

Keywords:

disaster, emergency, response

Abstract

Private hospitals with nonemployed, volunteer medical staffs face a special challenge in meeting the patient-care needs posed by a mass casualty incident (MCI). Although most disaster response systems focus on emergency department and trauma management, such systems often do not provide for the need to triage existing inpatients to create room for incoming casualties, for continuity of physician care for those patients, as well as for MCI victims in case of major disaster. Such systems must also provide a mechanism for ethical and appropriate rationing of limited resources during a MCI. Community hospitals without 24/7 in-house physicians must provide a mechanism for physician care for patients in situations in which access to the hospital may be limited by the disaster (eg, major earthquake or flood). This article describes a system established at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, a 740-bed not-for-profit hospital with a volunteer medical staff, to ensure continuity of physician care in a major disaster. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of such a system.

Author Biographies

James D. Leo, MD, FCCP

Associate Chief Medical Officer, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, California.

Desiree Thomas, RN, MSN, CCRN

Trauma Surge Coordinator, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, California.

Ginger Alhadeff, BA, RN, MA

Director of Safety, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, California.

References

Emergency Medical Services Authority: Hospital Incident Command System, Disaster Medical Services Division, CA. Available at www.emsa.ca.gov/HICS. Accessed April 7, 2009.

Cournos F: Roles of psychiatrists on multidisciplinary mental health disaster teams. Psychiatric Services. 2001; 52: 536.

Barclay L: Physician’s role in a natural disaster: a newsmaker interview with John O Agwunobi, MD, MBA. Medical Medscape News. 2008, article 487944.

Frykberg ER: The surgeon’s role in unconventional civilian disasters. In Townsend CM, Beauchamp DR, Evers MB, et al. (eds.): Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, Chapter 26, 18th ed. Philadelphia, PA:W. B. Saunders, 2007: 471-486.

Maurer T: The role of the dermatologist as front line responder. Dermatol Clin. 2004; 22 (3): 321-324.

Outcalt D: Disaster medical response. J Fam Pract. 2006; 55: 113-115.

Clements B, Evans K: The doctor’s role in bioterrorism. Med Crime Punishment. 2004; 364: 26-27.

Born CT, Briggs SM, Ciraulo DL, et al.: Disasters and mass casualties: General principles of response and management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007; 15: 388-396.

Briggs S: Disaster management teams. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2005; 11: 585-589.

Hopkins R: Preparing for pandemic influenza: Physicians and staff will be front-line defenders. J Ark Med Soc. 103; 7: 175-176.

Larkin M: New York physicians respond to terror, tragedy and trauma. Lancet. 2001; 358: 940.

Published

03/01/2009

How to Cite

Leo, MD, FCCP, J. D., D. Thomas, RN, MSN, CCRN, and G. Alhadeff, BA, RN, MA. “A Unique Hospital Physician Disaster Response System for a Nonemployed Medical Staff”. American Journal of Disaster Medicine, vol. 4, no. 2, Mar. 2009, pp. 95-100, doi:10.5055/ajdm.2009.0014.

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

<< < 8 9 10 11 12 13 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.