Nurses Preparedness And Response In Emergency For Today’s World PDF

NURSES PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE IN EMERGENCY FOR TODAY’S WORLD At the end of the session, the participants shall be able to; Discuss the basics of emergency preparedness and response. Discuss the outbreaks and emerging infections; Preparedness and anticipation. Explain the...

NURSES PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE IN EMERGENCY FOR TODAY’S WORLD At the end of the session, the participants shall be able to; Discuss the basics of emergency preparedness and response. Discuss the outbreaks and emerging infections; Preparedness and anticipation. Explain the role of nurse in disaster preparedness and management.  A disaster is an occurrence of a severity and magnitude that normally results in death, injuries and property damage that cannot be managed through the routine procedure and resources of government. (W.H.O.) A disaster can be defined as an occurrence either nature or man made that causes human suffering and creates human needs that victims cannot alleviate without assistance. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)  Disaster Nursing can be defined as the adaptation of professional nursing skills in recognizing and meeting the nursing physical and emotional needs resulting from a disaster. The overall goal of disaster nursing is to achieve the best possible level of health for the people and the community involved in the disaster. The overall goal of disaster nursing is to achieve the best possible level of health for the people and community involved in the disaster. To meet the immediate basic survival needs of population affected by disasters (water, food, shelter, and security). To identify the potential for a secondary disaster. To appraise both risks and resources in the environment. To correct inequalities in access to health care or appropriate resources. To empower survivors to participate in and advocate for their own health and well being. To respect cultural, lingual, and religious diversity in individuals and families and to apply this principle in all health promotion activities. To promote the highest achievable quality of life for survivors.  D – Disseminate information on the prevention and control of environmental hazards I – Interpret health laws and regulations S – Serve yourself of self – survival. A – Accepts directions and take orders from an organized authority S - Serve the best of the MOST T – Teach the meaning of warning signals E – Exercise leadership R – Refer to appropriate agencies  Level I – if the organization, agency, or community is able to contain the event and respond effectively utilizing its own resources. Level II – if the disaster requires assistance from external sources, but these can be obtained from nearby agencies. Level III – if the disaster is of a magnitude that exceeds the capacity of the local community or origin and requires assistance from state level or even federal assets.  It is the initial phase of disaster, prior to the actual occurrence. A warning is given at the sign of the first possible danger to a community with the aid of weather networks and satellite, many metrological disasters can be predicted. This is the period when the emergency preparedness plan is put into effect by emergency centers are opened by the local civil, detention authority. Communication is a very important factor during this phase, disaster personnel will call on amateur radio operators, radio and television stations. The role of nurse in this warning phase is to assist in preparing shelters and emergency aid stations and establishing contact with other emergency service group.  This phase occurs when the disaster actually happens. It is a time of enduring hardship or injury end of trying to survive. This phase may last for several minutes (eg. after an earthquake, plane crash or explosion) or for days or weeks (eg. in a flood, famine or epidemic). This phase continues until the threat of further destruction has passed and emergency plan is in effect. This is the time when the emergency operation center is established and put in operation. It functions as a hub for communication between other government health care organizations, healthcare professionals, and shelter staff. Every shelter has a nurse as a member of disaster action team. The nurse is responsible for psychological support to victims in the shelter. Recovery begins during the emergency phase and ends with the return of normal community order and functioning. For persons in the impact area this phase may last a lifetime (eg. victims of the atomic bomb of Hiroshima). What is it? Emergency preparedness means “being prepared for all kinds of emergencies, being able to respond in time of crisis to save lives and property, and to help a community, or even a nation, return to normal life after a disaster occurs” (BSA, 2009) It prepares people for emerging and unexpected public health threats before and after they occur. When disasters occur, there are individuals, organizations, and professionals who are trained to respond to such disasters to improve public health outcomes. Types of Emergencies are Earthquakes, outbreaks, floods, explosions, wildfires, hurricanes, Epidemics etc (CDC, 2010) Mitigation It includes measures to prevent disaster damaging effects of unavoidable disasters. Effective mitigation includes recognizing and preventing potential technological disaster and being well-prepared in the event that they do occur. To plan effectively for disaster prevention the need to have community assessment information including knowledge of community resources (eg, emergency services, hospital and clinics), community health personnel (eg, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, emergency medical teams, dentist and volunteers), community government officials and local industry. Disaster Preparedness The goal of preparation is to decrease emergency response time and ensure that necessary equipment is available and on- site after a disaster. Issues to consider include – weather patterns, geographic location, expectations related to public events and gatherings, age, condition, and location of facility, and industries in close proximity to the hospital (eg. nuclear power plant or chemical factory). Preparedness include – personal preparedness and professional preparedness. Response The response phase is the actual implementation of the disaster plan. The best response plans use an incident command system, are relatively simple, are routinely practiced, and are modified when improvements are needed. Response activities need to be continually monitored and adjusted to the changing situation.  Disaster Discovery Plan Recovery once the incident is over, the organization and staff needs to recover. Recovery is usually easier if, during the response, some of the staff have been assigned to maintain essential services while others were assigned to the disaster response. Recovery begins when the disaster is finished and serves the community, establishing long-term medical care for those in need after a disaster, rebuilding and working to reduce the chance of future similar disasters from occurring.  The word triage is derived from the French word trier, which means, “to sort out or choose”. Triage is the process of determining the priority of patient’s treatments based on the severity of their condition. Triage is the process of sorting people based on their need for immediate medical treatment as compared to their chance of benefiting from such care. The goal of disaster nursing is ensuring that the highest achievable level of care is delivered through identifying, advocating and caring for all impacted populations throughout all phases of a disaster event, including active participation in all levels of disaster planning and preparedness. Determine magnitude of the event Define health needs of the affected groups Establish priorities and objectives Identify actual potential public health problems Determine resources needed to respond to the needs identified Collaborate with other professional disciplines, governmental and governmental agencies Maintain a unified chain of command Communication A. Personal preparedness: Nurse assisting in disaster relief efforts must be as healthy as possible, both physical as well as psychologically. She must be certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. B. Professional preparedness: Participate in the development of community disaster plans and risk assessment Initiate disaster prevention measures : prevention of hazards, movement / relocation of at risk population, public awareness campaign and establishment of early warning system Perform disaster drills and table – top exercises Identify educational and training needs for all nurses Develop disaster nursing database for notification, mobilization, and triage of emergency nurse staffing resources. Develop evaluation plans for all components of disaster nursing response.  Activate disaster response plan – notification and initial response, leadership assumes control of events, command post is recognised, establish communication, conduct damage and need assessment at the scene, establish field hospital and shelters, triage and transport of patients. Mitigate all ongoing hazards Activate agency disaster plans Establish need for mutual aid relationships Integrate state and federal resources Ongoing triage and provision of nursing care Evaluate public health needs of affected population  Establish safe shelter and the delivery of adequate food and water supplies Provide for sanitation needs and waste removal Establish disease surveillance and vector control Evaluate the need for / activate additional nursing staff (Disaster Nurse Response Plan) She must observe continuously faulty housing structure, lack of water and electricity objects blown by flood may be dangerous must be removed She should also may be involved in providing psychological care to the community to assist its members with the grieving and coping processes. She play a key role as preventions in assisting in maintenance of proper sanitation measures, proper control of vector populations and control of infectious disease through public education.  Continue provision of nursing and medical care Continue disease surveillance and vector control Monitor the safety of the food and water supply Withdrawal from disaster scene Restore public health infrastructure Re-triage and transport of the patients to appropriate facilities Reunite family members Monitor long term physical health outcomes of survivors Provide counseling and debriefing for staff Provide staff with adequate time off for rest Evaluate disaster nursing action response Revise original disaster preparedness plan