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ABSTRACTObjective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the 2010 Chilean earthquake on hospital functions and services. Hospitals functioning in a post-disaster environment must provide emergency medical care related to the event, in addition to providing standard community health services. This study focused on damage to both structural and nonstructural components, as well as to utility services.Methods: Site visits were made to every hospital in a single province (Bio-Bio). Engineers conducted damage assessments while interviews of hospital administrators were conducted. The survey was requested by the Chilean Ministry of Health (MOH) to assess the impact of the earthquake on hospital operations and facility responses to those effects. Other important regional and hospital data were gathered from hospital administrators and the MOH.Results: Seven government hospitals were surveyed. All hospitals in the region lost communications, municipal electrical power and water for several days. All reported some physical damage although only one suffered significant structural damage. All lost some functional capacity as a result of the earthquake. The loss of telephones and cellular service was identified as the most difficult problem by administrators. An average of 3 physical areas per hospital lost some degree of functional capacity following the earthquake.Conclusion: Even in an earthquake-prone and very well-prepared country such as Chile hospital functions were widely disrupted by the event. The loss of hospital functions can occur even with minimal damage to the physical structure. The loss of communications can impede or halt response efforts at all levels. Hospitals should be prepared to self-sustain following a disaster for 2-3 days regardless of the level of structural damage. Understanding the details of these impacts is essential to hospital preparedness and plans for continuing services after a disaster.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:122-128)

The objectives of this study were to introduce a damage and loss-of-function survey tool that can be used to standardize future assessment of hospital performance, to assess the impact of the 2010 Chilean earthquake on the functions of the public hospital system in the Bío-Bío Province, and to translate these results as lessons that can be applied to U.S. hospitals. This study focused on damage to structural and nonstructural components, utility services, and equipment, as well as loss of supplies and personnel. Structural engineers completed a visual inspection of facilities, and hospital administrators were surveyed to assess the overall impact on operations. All hospitals lost communications, electrical power, and water for several days. All hospitals reported some physical damage although only one suffered significant structural damage. The lessons learned from Chile are applied to U.S. practice of hospital seismic mitigation.

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