Natural disasters and healthcare

Francescutti, Louis Hugo; Sauve, Michel; Prasad, Abhaya S

doi:10.1177/0840470416679338

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This scenario prompts a repeat of the critical self-inquiry we initiated in 2017, 26 which was aimed at continual quality improvement in our disaster response protocols. It challenges healthcare leaders to reflect on their state of preparedness: If tasked with the responsibility of evacuating an entire hospital within the next 12 hours, would there be a sense of confidence and readiness to execute such a directive?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare and successive natural disasters: Lessons still to be learned

Sauve,

Bly,

Francescutti

2023

Healthc Manage Forum

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article explores the increasing impact of natural disasters on healthcare leadership and disaster preparedness, particularly in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It underscores the importance of building disaster resilience in healthcare, distinguishing between emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes, and advocating for a multi-dimensional resilience approach. The need for robust electronic communication channels and comprehensive family-oriented evacuation plans, considering family and pet safety, is emphasized. The protection of vulnerable patients, the importance of resilient healthcare infrastructure, and dedicated protective equipment for first responders are also discussed. The article highlights the critical role of government support in flood prevention and disaster preparedness. Through the experiences of Fort McMurray, the article demonstrates the necessity of comprehensive disaster planning and the crucial role of healthcare systems in rapid recovery and adaptation in the face of disasters. It aims to contribute to an improved understanding and strategies for managing such critical situations in the future.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare and successive natural disasters: Lessons still to be learned

Sauve,

Bly,

Francescutti

2023

Healthc Manage Forum

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specific hospital management principles include, but are definitely not limited to, vulnerability analysis, communications, triage, surge capacity, psychosocial effects, and medicolegal issues [31]. Hospitals must consider the disaster and its effects not only on a massive influx of patients but on existing patients, as well as health care workers in and out of hospital [33]. Patient care may be complicated and compromised by issues of security, chemical or biological exposure, and capacity for definitive care [29,34].…”

Section: Hospital Disaster Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A "paper plan syndrome" refers to passively placing confidence in a document detailing a facility's readiness ( [35], p. 3). Written plans do not obviate problems [33,38]. To be effective, training needs to be continuous, team-centred, and at least as far as disasters go, focused on the non-technical aspects of working in teams [22].…”

Section: Thursdaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Disaster Management: A State-of-the-Art Review

Bly¹,

Francescutti²,

Weiss³

2021

Natural Hazards - Impacts, Adjustments and Resilience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disaster management involves the pillars of emergency management: planning and preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery. Emergencies are serious events that threaten health, life, and property and can be managed within the capabilities of the affected organization. Disasters, on the other hand, are hypercomplex emergencies, requiring resources not immediately available. Disaster management follows the principles of emergency management, and emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and teamwork. Lack of resources will challenge people and organizations both in effects of disasters and the ability to manage them. Poverty, climate change, governance, and education are foundations to improve capacity. Hospitals play an important role in disaster response and can prepare accordingly. Plans, to be effective, must be implemented through appropriately-targeted exercises. Building on an all-hazards approach, to more hazard-specific considerations can improve disaster preparedness as well as day-to-day efficiency. Disaster management is complex and crucial. These principles are explored through the fictional tale of 1Tucci, a coastal city in the worst flood anyone can remember. Well, almost anyone…

show abstract

“…How hospitals respond to the demand for medical attention during and after a disaster event can be extremely challenging. Natural disasters impact on healthcare organizations and remind disaster managers to pay attention to the safety of their staff, particularly their first responders and physicians ( Francescutti, 2017). Usually, disaster managers in hospitals are faced with a range of challenges in such events, which include unexpected changes to newly injured or ongoing patient management, communication challenges, a lack of coordination, a lack of preparedness, and logistical deficiencies.…”

Section: Challenges Of Disaster Managers In Hospitalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing Gis to Improve Hospital Efficiency in Natural Disasters

Nia

Kulatunga

Udeaja

et al. 2018

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Over the past decades, the number of natural disasters has been growing around the world. In addition to damaging communities and infrastructures, unexpected disasters also affect service providers such as hospitals and health centers. Markedly, hospital safety from disasters is a challenge in all countries. With disaster damage to health systems resulting in human tragedy, huge economic losses, devastating blows to developmental goals, and shaken social confidence. Ensuring that hospitals and health facilities are safe and secure from disasters depend on implementing an appropriate method to mitigate adverse impacts on hospitals during incidents. Thus, disaster management becomes even more significant, as the health sector has been particularly vulnerable to damages. So, it is crucial to develop appropriate mitigation and adoption method for healthcare facilities, to withstand the natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. A comprehensive disaster plan is required to ensure a prompt disaster response and coordinated management of a multi causality incident. The aim of this research is to systemically and critically review the importance of hospitals in disaster events and this research attempts to reach a basic understanding to mitigate the risk of disasters in hospitals and improve the continuity of health services during or after disaster events. For this study, secondary information was retrieved from the literature review and document review on sudden-onset natural disasters in different parts of the world was collected. This study found some challenges and deliverables for disaster managers that could mitigate the risk of a natural disaster’s impact on a hospital. Accordingly, this research will evaluate the importance of disaster management for hospitals and the challenges that need to be considered during the disaster response.

show abstract

Natural disasters and healthcare

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

Healthcare and successive natural disasters: Lessons still to be learned

Healthcare and successive natural disasters: Lessons still to be learned

Disaster Management: A State-of-the-Art Review

Implementing Gis to Improve Hospital Efficiency in Natural Disasters

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About