News Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 14, 2007
JAMA commentary gives poor grades to hospital preparedness
The authors examine the trends in hospital preparedness since the September 11th disaster and focus on current hospital surge capability and other issues.
"According to an American Hospital Association 2007 survey, the majority of US hospitals routinely function at more than 100% capacity. The nationwide nursing shortage also limits hospital surge capacity and, as of December 2006, hospitals had an estimated 116 000 nurse vacancies."
This shortage of beds and nurses greatly inhibits the ability to deal with a surge event.
"The lack of hospital surge capacity must be addressed to improve disaster preparedness. Stockpiled supplies and written plans are of little use without sufficient available ED capacity and inpatient hospital capacity. Although the current focus on tangible and measurable parameters is well intentioned, a strategy based on stockpiling alone as an effective disaster preparedness strategy is misguided. In the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster, effective use of stockpiled supplies, pharmaceutical agents, and equipment also requires adequate patient care space and qualified personnel."
For more information, visit the Journal of the American Medical Association (subscription required). Additional resources can be found at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Hospital Preparedness Program.
