Hospital incident command groups' performance during major incident simulations: a prospective observational study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Emergency Preparedness
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Hospital Incident Command Groups (HICGs) are critical for managing major incidents.
• Previous studies focused on HICG capacity, not performance or influencing factors.
• Understanding HICG performance is vital for effective hospital response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the association between decision-making skills and staff procedural skills within HICGs.
• To evaluate the impact of these skills on overall HICG performance during major incidents.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study involving six hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden.
• Utilized measurable performance indicators during major incident simulations.
• Assessed decision-making and staff procedure skills of HICGs.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation was found between decision-making skills and staff procedural skills.
• Proactive decision-making skills showed significantly lower performance than reactive skills.
• Both decision-making and staff procedure skills are correlated with overall HICG performance.

Conclusions:

• Decision-making and staff procedural skills are significantly interconnected in HICGs.
• HICGs demonstrate less developed proactive decision-making compared to reactive.
• Enhanced proactive decision-making may improve HICG performance in major incidents.