The plan is designed to replicate for the most part the daily activities of the Emergency Department. There are however some differences, mostly in regard to patient flow.
All details of the UAH disaster plan are detailed in the orange disater binders and on the EPG web tool. Please take a few minutes to read your job description handout!
A charge physician will be designated. The charge physician will have primary administrative control of the department. Ideally a separate charge physician will be designated for the Pediatrics Pod. If staffing shortages preclude immediate designation of a Pediatrics Charge Physician, the Adult Charge Physician may temporarily be required to assist in th administrative tasks of the Pediatric Charge Physician.
All patients who register during the disaster plan activation period will have a disaster (alias) chart. Charts will be later identifies and coordinated with the hospital chart. Physicians are NOT required to obtain demographic information.
Patients will be assessed initially by the triage physician and nurse. A triage category is assigned, and the patient is assigned to a specific pod. Ideally when necessary, there will be 2 teams: Adult Triage Physician and RN; Pediatric Triage Physician and RN. Since physician staffing may be initially limited in the Pediatrics area, the Adult team may temporarily act as both the Adult and Pediatric team.
The patients triage code and location will be tracked on the HAS system exactly as usual (except that alias number replaces name).
Patients will proceed to the designated pod, and are assigned to a specific bed by the Area Leader Nurse.
Patients are cared for in the usual manner. Remember that a common fault in disaster settings is that the critical patients who arrive early are treated hastily and discharged quickly to make room for further casualties that may not arrive.
After discharge, patients will proceed to a common discharge area where the clerical and demographic data are obtained.
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