Exploring the Concept of Surge Capacity

Abstract

Disasters and infectious disease outbreaks over the last several years have demonstrated the importance of emergency preparedness for large-scale events affecting many people. The ability to respond effectively to events producing a massive influx of patients that disrupt daily operations requires surge capacity. Key components of surge capacity include the four S’s: ‘staff,’ ‘stuff,’ ‘structure,’ and ‘systems.’ As experts in planning and coordinating patient care, nurses have a crucial role to play in disaster planning. Nurses must become familiar with the concept of surge capacity and understand both how it relates to the health and safety of communities and how it is applicable to their nursing practice. This article explores the concept of surge capacity and describes how surge capacity can be useful in various aspects of emergency preparedness planning.

A practice‐based nursing emergency management system model for public health emergencies: A descriptive qualitative study

“…Staff is trained personnel (Adams, 2009 ; Phattharapornjaroen et al, 2022 ). During PHEs, Staff should be able to meet the needs of hospital operations under emergency conditions.…”

Perspective Chapter: Hospital Disaster Management during Dengue Outbreak

“…Key components of surge planning include four S's: Structures, Staff, Stuff, and System [21]. Sub-acute units in the hospitals should be identified as it is much easier to manage the outbreak if it can be managed inside the facility.…”

“…Moreover, equipment required to expand the capacity, needs to be planned. The equipment may include ward bed, ICU bed, medications, and logistic supplies [21]. An effective multi-hazard management plan must describe the system with a clear guiding policy in case of surge of patients.…”

Hospital Surge Capacity Preparedness in Disasters and Emergencies: Protocol for a Systematic Review

“…However, there is no single definition and measurement standard of surge capacity in healthcare or disaster planning [ 4 , 6 , 9 ]. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) defined surge capacity as “a measurable representation of a health care system’s ability to manage a sudden or rapidly progressive influx of patients within the currently available resources at a given point in time” [ 10 ].…”

“…Adams [ 9 ] has given a comprehensive definition of surge capacity as “the ability to obtain adequate staff, supplies and equipment, structures and systems to provide sufficient care to meet immediate needs of an influx of patients following a large-scale incident or disaster”. This definition reflects the theoretical constructs of the four domains or components of hospital surge capacity: (1) staff or human resources; (2) stuff or equipment and supplies; (3) structure or physical space; and (4) systems that include integrated management policies and processes [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 ], which were initially proposed by Kelen and McCarthy [ 13 ] in their seminal work, titled “The science of Surge”. Therefore, before developing and implementing programs for hospitals’ surge capacity, the primary evaluation and risk assessment of crucial components of surge capacity are essential to achieving the programs’ successes [ 4 ].…”