Evaluating Hospital Mass Casualty Preparedness
Evaluating Hospital Mass Casualty Preparedness
September 25, 2012
Homeland & Cyber Security, Medical Research, Press Releases
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, September 25, 2012 – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers, in collaboration with the Israel Ministry of Health, have developed a new evaluation model as part of a research study evaluating Israeli hospitals’ emergency preparedness for mass casualty events (MCE).
The model, published in the American Journal of Medical Quality, used 306 predetermined and measureable benchmarks to evaluate 24 acute care hospitals in four areas: standard operating procedures, knowledge, equipment, and training.
“As yet, there is no widely accepted, validated tool for evaluating hospital emergency preparedness in Israel or in the U.S,” said Dr. Bruria Adini, of BGU’s Recanati School for Community Health Professions, who is also affiliated with the Emergency and Disaster Management Division of Israel’s Ministry of Health. “The goal was to investigate the effect of using an ongoing evaluation system on hospitals’ MCE preparedness for natural or manmade disasters.”
In the study, two full evaluation cycles were evaluated. Following the first evaluation cycle, the hospitals implemented various quality improvement strategies. As a result, an increase was found in the total scores between the first and second cycles, from 77 to 88.5 percent, with training improvements being the most significant.
The study also revealed that the most noticeable improvement was in hospitals that had not experienced real mass casualty events. The researchers believe that the inexperienced institutions were less complacent than the experienced ones and therefore took the time to enhance preparedness by observing the actions that were taken in past events.
“An ongoing assessment of emergency preparedness motivates hospitals’ management and staff to improve capabilities,” Dr. Adini explains. “All hospitals, even those with limited or no experience in managing mass casualty events, can benefit from standards defined in the evaluation process and thus achieve a high level of emergency preparedness.”
Israeli hospitals receive both counsel and guidance in connection with emergencies and disasters from the Ministry of Health, but in the U.S., hospitals are expected to develop and maintain emergency preparedness levels independently. “This study, therefore, can provide invaluable insight for American hospitals, helping them prepare and upgrade emergency management systems,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “This is important knowledge to share at a time of increased uncertainty around the world.”
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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