Managing in a catastrophe: radiology during Hurricane Katrina.

摘要

Having successfully managed the department of radiology at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation during the recent events of Hurricane Katrina, we thought it would be valuable to share and discuss key information regarding management during a catastrophe. Management during a catastrophe can be divided into three components: preplanning, managing the actual event, and modifying the emergency plan according to lessons learned from the previous event. The Ochsner Clinic Foundation is a 532-bed tertiary care academic medical center with 20 radiologists, 22 residents and fellows, and more than 300 other personnel within the radiology department on the main campus. Before Hurricane Katrina, we had had many previous hurricane alerts at Ochsner, and we updated our emergency plan regarding equipment, personnel, emergency power, and communications annually. The overall institutional plan called for key individuals to stay in the institution for 2 days after the hurricane struck and then evacuate by helicopter to safety.