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Evaluation of regional hospitals' use of children in disaster drills
Aaron H Gardner1, Michael R Fitzgerald2, Hamilton P Schwartz2
1Clinical Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Insights
Community hospitals rarely include pediatric patients in disaster drills. Hospitals closer to children's hospitals use fewer pediatric casualties, highlighting a need for better disaster preparedness for children.
Area of Science:
- Disaster medicine
- Pediatric emergency preparedness
- Healthcare system resilience
Background:
- Community hospitals play a crucial role in disaster response.
- Effective disaster drills require realistic simulation of potential patient populations.
- The specific needs of pediatric casualties in mass casualty events are often overlooked.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of pediatric casualties in disaster drills conducted by community hospitals.
- To investigate the association between community hospital proximity to a tertiary children's hospital and the inclusion of pediatric casualties in drills.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive survey study was conducted.
- Participants included emergency management personnel from 30 general community hospitals in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio region.
- Data collected focused on the utilization of pediatric casualties in disaster drills and its relationship to distance from a tertiary children's hospital.
Main Results:
- A total of 57 disaster drills involving 1,309 casualties were reported by 16 hospitals.
- The vast majority of simulated patients (82%) were 16 years or older.
- Hospitals closer to a tertiary children's hospital reported a lower percentage of pediatric patients (10%) in drills, while those farther away reported a higher percentage (32%).
Conclusions:
- Most community hospitals do not incorporate pediatric patients into their disaster preparedness drills.
- A negative correlation exists between proximity to a children's hospital and the likelihood of including pediatric casualties in drills.
- Targeted efforts and resources are necessary to enhance community hospitals' capacity to manage pediatric casualties during disasters.
Objective:
Describe the prevalence of pediatric casualties in disaster drills by community hospitals and determine if there is an association between the use of pediatric casualties in disaster drills and the proximity of a community hospital to a tertiary children's hospital.
Design:
Survey, descriptive study.
Setting:
Tertiary children's hospital and surrounding community hospitals.
Participants:
Hospital emergency management personnel for 30 general community hospitals in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio region.
Interventions:
None
Main Outcome Measure(S):
The utilization of pediatric casualties in community hospital disaster drills and its relationship to the distance of those hospitals from a tertiary children's hospital.
Results:
Sixteen hospitals reported a total of 57 disaster drills representing 1,309 casualties. The overwhelming majority (82 percent [1,077/1,309]) of simulated patients from all locations were 16 years of age or older. Those hospitals closest to the children's hospital reported the lowest percentage of pediatric patients (10 percent [35/357]) used in their drills. The hospitals furthest from the children's hospital reported the highest percentage of pediatric patients (32 percent [71/219]) used during disaster drills.
Conclusions:
The majority of community hospitals do not incorporate children into their disaster drills, and the closer a community hospital is to a tertiary children's hospital, the less likely it is to include children in its drills. Focused effort and additional resources should be directed toward preparing community hospitals to care for children in the event of a disaster.
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