Preparing for disaster: Boston hospitals know the drill but keep practicing
In the days after the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, many praised the way the city’s hospitals responded to the attack. But clinicians in those hospitals aren’t resting on their laurels. They have examined what worked well (and not so well) after the event and continue to plan…
Surgeons call for community response to mass casualty incidents
Shooting incidents are occurring throughout the US with increasing and alarming frequency. Among those in late 2013: the Washington, DC, Navy Yard on September 16—12 dead, 3 injured before the gunman took his own life; the Sparks, Nevada middle school on October 21—1 dead, 2 wounded before the student wielding…
APIC guide highlights role of ambulatory care in disaster response
A new publication by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) zeros in on the role of outpatient care facilities in responding to disasters—specifically, how they can prevent infection in their patients, staff, and the community at large. The guide, “Infection Prevention for Ambulatory Care Centers During…
Surviving a disaster: Nurses recall Moore's fierce tornado
It had been a busy morning in the OR at Moore Medical Center in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20. By 3 pm, the surgery patients had left the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and gone home. PACU nurses Debra Breshears, RN, and Barbra Barrow, RN, were getting ready to leave when…
Boston hospitals supporting patients and staff in bombing aftermath
Just before 2:50 pm on April 15, 2 postanesthesia care nurses from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) crossed the Boston Marathon finish line. Their elation at finishing the race soon turned to fear when they heard the first of 2 explosions. They began searching for friends and family who…
ERs, ORs respond for multiple victims of Colorado shootings
A call came over the radio at 12:30 am on July 20, 2012. There had been a shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, with the potential for multiple victims. Emergency department staff at the nearby University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) listened to the call. They didn’t anticipate more…
Surgery by flashlight as Joplin team operates through tornado
It started out as a typical Sunday morning on call—a 7:30 am C section, home for a nap, then a call-back at 3 pm for orthopedic cases. But that Sunday, May 22, 2011, turned out to be anything but typical for Staci Perry, a surgical technologist at St John's Regional…
Is your OR prepared for a natural disaster?
Do your hospital disaster drills include natural disasters? What would you do if you lost electricity, steam, and water because of a flood, storm, or other disaster? Do you know about your hospital's physical plant and how it supports perioperative services? St Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, faced these…
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