Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T07:12:31.110Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Disaster Preparedness for Clinics – Further Study from Haiti

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2020

Benjamin Kaufman Open the ORCID record for Benjamin Kaufman [Opens in a new window] ,
Sadia Hussain ,
Matthew Riscinti ,
Christina Bloem  and
Bonnie Arquilla
Benjamin Kaufman*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New YorkUSA
Sadia Hussain
Affiliation:
Department of Critical Care Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, Bethesda, MarylandUSA
Matthew Riscinti
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
Christina Bloem
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
Bonnie Arquilla
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New YorkUSA
*
Correspondence: Benjamin Kaufman, MD, 19 Commerce Street, Apt 8, New York, New York10014USA, E-mail: benjoneskaufman@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

This team created a manual to train clinics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to effectively respond to disasters. This study is a follow-up to a prior study evaluating disaster response. The team returned to previously trained clinics to evaluate retention and performance in a disaster simulation.

Background:

Local clinics are the first stop for patients when disaster strikes LMICs. They are often under-resourced and under-prepared to respond to patient needs. Further effort is required to prepare these crucial institutions to respond effectively using the Incident Command System (ICS) framework.

Methods:

Two clinics in the North East Region of Haiti were trained through a disaster manual created to help clinics in LMICs respond effectively to disasters. This study measured the clinic staff’s response to a disaster drill using the ICS and compared the results to prior responses.

Results:

Using the prior study’s evaluation scale, clinics were evaluated on their ability to set up an ICS. During the mock disaster, staff was evaluated on a three-point scale in 13 different metrics, grading their ability to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover in a disaster. By this scale, both clinics were effective (36/39; 92%) in responding to a disaster.

Conclusion:

The clinics retained much prior training, and after repeat training, the clinics improved their disaster response. Future study will evaluate the clinics’ ability to integrate disaster response with country-wide health resources to enable an effective outcome for patients.

Keywords

disaster responseIncident Command Systeminternational emergency
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 170 - 173
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

World Health Organization. World Health Statistics. Haiti: General Health Statistical profile. http://www.who.int/gho/countries/hti.pdf. Published January 2015. Accessed September 2017.Google Scholar
Daurisca, RC. Developing the Ambulance System and Network. Haiti Priorise. Copenhagen Consensus Center; 2017. License: Creative Commons Attributions CC BY 4.0. https://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/sites/default/files/ambulancenetwork_daurisca_eng.pdf. Published 2017. Accessed September 2017.Google Scholar
Granvorka, CG. Integrated Management of Risks and Disasters in Haiti. Haiti Priorise. Copenhagen Consensus Center; 2017. License: Creative Commons Attributions CC BY 4.0. https://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/sites/default/files/haiti_priorise_natural_disasters_-_english.pdf. Published 2017. Accessed September 2017.Google Scholar
De Wulf, A, Aluisio, AR, Muhlfelder, D, Bloem, C. Emergency care capabilities in North East Haiti: a cross-sectional observational study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(6):553–559.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aluisio, AR, De Wulf, A, Louis, A, Bloem, C. Epidemiology of traumatic injuries in the northeast region of Haiti: a cross-sectional study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(6):599–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stanley, JB. Cost-Benefit Analysis of Health Infrastructure Projects. Haiti Priorise. Copenhagen Consensus Center; 2017. License: Creative Commons Attributions CC BY 4.0. https://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/sites/default/files/haiti_priorise_health_clinics_-_english.pdf. Published 2017. Accessed September 2017.Google Scholar
The Smartest Solutions for Haiti. Haiti Priorise. Copenhagen Consensus Center; 2017. https://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/sites/default/files/haiti_priorise_outcome_en.pdf. Published 2017. Accessed September 2017.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Kaufman et al. supplementary material

Kaufman et al. supplementary material

Download Kaufman et al. supplementary material(File)
File 300.2 KB