Disaster preparedness: emergency planning in the NICU

Hospital emergency management has evolved beyond satisfying regulatory requirements. Although tools and resources have been developed to support hospitals in emergency planning, there appears to be a scarcity of resources to guide hospital departments. To ensure that standards of care are maintained and to minimize the impact on the hospital and/ or a nursing unit, Good Samaritan Hospital has developed a mobile emergency system and an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) template to assist other nursing units in their planning efforts. This article focuses on the development of emergency bedside backpacks, mobile disaster boxes, disaster documentation and forms go-kits, and guidelines for creating such a plan. The ongoing equipment testing, inventory rotation, staff training, and exercising response protocols are all crucial to test the effectiveness of the program in place. All these activities require a multidisciplinary approach to ensure integration with hospital-wide emergency planning efforts.