Tool for Evaluating Core Elements of Hospital Disaster Drills

摘要

Hospitals must be prepared to respond to natural and manmade mass casualty incidents that may cause sudden demand on services. Disaster drills have been identified as a critical component of preparedness because they allow the institution to test response capabilities in real time. Evaluation of these activities is essential to understand the strengths and weaknesses of an institutions disaster response. Evaluation is based on accurate observation. Accurate observation requires careful documentation of events before, during, and after a drill. Using a standardized observation and evaluation approach allows for a consistent record each time a drill occurs within an institution. A standardized approach helps both to capture the specific strengths and weaknesses of hospital responses during the drill and to draw comparisons across hospitals participating in similar drills. Using a standardized evaluation also allows comparison from one drill to the next to determine improvements in areas where weaknesses have been identified. This document describes the principles behind the approach used to develop the abbreviated evaluation modules and addendums and recommendations for their use.