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Emergency preparedness: what every health care worker needs to know

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Michael D. Christian ,
Daniel Kollek  and
Brian Schwartz
Michael D. Christian*
Affiliation:
The Centre for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness, Hamilton, Ont. McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine, Divisions of Infectious Disease and Critical Care, Hamilton, Ont.
Daniel Kollek
Affiliation:
The Centre for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness, Hamilton, Ont. McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine Programme, Hamilton, Ont.
Brian Schwartz
Affiliation:
The Centre for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness, Hamilton, Ont. Sunnybrook Osler Centre for Prehospital Care, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
*
Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster Wing, Rm. 627, 237 Barton St E, Hamilton ON L8L 2X2

Abstract

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Canada is moving forward quickly with plans to ensure that it is prepared to deal with emergencies. The National Framework for Health Emergency Management, released Nov. 26, 2004, recommends that a National Health Incident Management System (IMS) be developed. However, although most communities have successfully implemented IMS in the emergency services sector, many are still struggling with the integration of IMS into their health care systems. It is essential that all health care workers, regardless of profession or position, understand at least the basic concepts of emergency preparedness because of the wide variety of roles they may be asked to fulfill in an emergency situation. This article will review the basic concepts in emergency preparedness and management with a specific focus on IMS in health care.

Keywords

emergency preparednessincident management systemincident command systemdisaster
Type
Education • Éducation
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 7 , Issue 5 , September 2005 , pp. 330 - 337
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2005

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