Hospital Preparedness Plans for Chemical Incidents and Threats: A Systematic Review.

In a wide range of events, people may be acutely exposured to chemical substances. Particular hospital preparedness plans and vital resources are essential for appropriate health-care measures. The present study aimed to conduct a systematic review to summarize and evaluate the existing evidence on hospital preparedness plans or protocols against chemical incidents and threats. In this aim, through May 15, 2018, 5 electronic databases were searched in MEDLINE (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar) for the following key words: hospital preparedness, plan, protocol, chemical incident, and chemical threat. The final review included 11 peer-reviewed papers that met inclusion criteria. The systematic review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for the Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis protocol (PRISMA) (www.prisma-statement.org). Finally, of 16,540 selected papers, 11 papers were included in the final analysis. The thematic analyses revealed 11 major categories of chemical incidents and threats planning, such as planning requirements, planning prerequisites, preparation team member (multidisciplinary team), decontamination, personal protective equipment, education and training, job descriptions and roles, communication, database, staff /volunteer organization, as well as planning barriers and challenges for chemical incidents. Most countries have launched hospital preparedness planning against chemical incidents and threat activities, but the preparedness of hospitals is often less than desirable. Many items, such as databases, hospital preparation team members, communications, etc., are still challenging.

Reducing Waiting-time of Preterm Babies at a Retinopathy of Prematurity Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project.

OBJECTIVE: To decrease the waiting time for preterm babies visiting the Retinopathy of prematurity clinic in a tertiary eye hospital. DESIGN: Interventional study. SETTING: Tertiary eye care hospital. PATIENTS: All preterm babies reporting for screening and follow up at Retinopathy of prematurity clinic. INTERVENTION/PROCEDURE: A quality improvement team comprising of a faculty (team leader), two senior residents, two junior residents, one nursing officer, and a registration staff was constituted. Fish bone analysis was done to understand various reasons for the high waiting time for preterm babies. Baseline data was collected followed by multiple Plan-Do-Study- Act (PDSA) cycles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Average waiting-time, maximum waiting-time, and last baby entry-time were measured. RESULTS: The median average waiting-time, maximum waiting-time and last baby entry-time at baseline were 90.5 min (range 74.1 to 118.8 min), 177.5 min (range 160 to 190 min) and 111 min (90 to 118 min), respectively. At the end of 3rd PDSA cycle, these reduced to 77.6 min (range 55.2 to 94.3 min), 122 min (range 110 to 135 min), and 60 min (range 45 to 80 min), respectively and were sustained; the decrease from baseline being 14.3%, 31.2%, and 46%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The time spent in the waiting area at the Retinopathy of Prematurity clinic was significantly reduced by simple changes in the process flow.

Hospital preparedness and response in CBRN emergencies: TIER assessment tool.

INTRODUCTION: Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies need particular hospital preparedness and resources availability. Also, specific skills and capabilities are required for efficient response to these types of events. The aim of this study was to develop an assessment tool to evaluate hospital preparedness and response performance with respect to CBRN emergencies. METHODS: An evaluation tool was developed using the Delphi technique. A panel of experts from 10 countries, both European and non-European, with more than 5 years of experience in research or practice in CBRN emergency management was involved in this study. The study was run online, and the experts were asked to evaluate a list of items on hospital preparedness and response in CBRN emergencies. A threshold of 85% agreement level was defined as the consensus of experts in this study. RESULTS: The first-round questionnaire was answered by 13 experts. Consensus on the preparedness section was reached for all 29 items during the first round and one item was also added by the experts. Consensus on the response performance indicators were reached in 51 out of the 59 items, during the first round, and eight items were modified and then approved in the second round by the experts. CONCLUSION: Hospitals need a specific level of preparedness to enable an effective response to CBRN emergencies. The assessment tool, developed through experts' consensus in this study, provides a standardized method for the evaluation of hospital preparedness and response performance with respect to CBRN emergencies. The feasibility and reliability of this assessment tool could be evaluated before and during simulated exercises in a standardized manner.

Influencia del material promocional sobre higiene de manos en la cultura de seguridad de un hospital de tercer nivel / Influence of promotional material on hand hygiene in the safety culture of a tertiary hospital

Con el objetivo de incrementar la cultura de seguridad en relación con la higiene de manos en el Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno-Infantil a través de la presencia de recordatorios y mensajes en todo el centro sobre la importancia de la higiene de manos en la prevención de infecciones, hemos desarrollado nuevo material promocional en el mencionado Complejo Hospitalario, formado por el Hospital Universitario Insular y el Hospital Materno-Infantil, ambos centros de tercer nivel con 450 camas cada uno y acreditados para la docencia MIR. Se contrataron los servicios de un caricaturista profesional, que adaptó el lenguaje a los modismos locales, usando los personajes que habitualmente aparecen en las viñetas del periódico y se siguió trabajando con otros profesionales del diseño gráfico. Se midieron los indicadores de adherencia y consumo de productos de base alcohólica, constatándose un incremento de ambos en los meses posteriores a la implantación de la estrategia. Además se hizo una revisión de infraestructuras relacionadas con la higiene de manos, con lo que comprobamos una clara mejoría en la mayoría de las áreas asistenciales. El material fue muy bien acogido por parte de los profesionales. No se realizó ninguna otra intervención distinta de las habituales, por lo que pensamos que esta estrategia está mejorando la cultura de seguridad en relación con la higiene de manos en nuestros centros (AU)

In order to increase safety culture about hand hygiene by means of messages and reminders about its importance in preventing nosocomial infections, we developed a new set of materials in the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular Materno-Infantil of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, constitued by two centres with 450 beds each and acredited for medical internal residents training. We hired a well-known caricaturist, who adapted the messages to the local way of speaking, by using characters that used to appear in his artwork in the local newspaper. Also, we continued to work with other graphic design professionals. We monitored adherence and consumption of products for hand rubbing. We noted an increase in both indicators in the following months after the implementation of this strategy. Moreover, we revised the infrastructures for hand hygiene, and were able to demonstrate improvements in most of the patient care areas. The material was well accepted by professionals, patients and visitors. No other interventions were made, so we think improvements can be attributable to this strategy in our setting (AU)

Key Aspects of a Sustainable Health Insurance System in Germany.

BACKGROUND: The main goals of health-care systems are to improve the health of the population they serve, respond to people's legitimate expectations, and offer fair financing. As a result, the health system in Germany is subject to continuous adaption as well as public and political discussions about its design. OBJECTIVE: This paper analyzes the key challenges for the German health-care system and the underlying factors driving these challenges. We aim to identify possible solutions to put the German health-care system in a better position to face these challenges. METHODS: We utilize a broad array of methods to answer these questions, including a review of the published and grey literature on health-care planning in Germany, semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the system, and an online questionnaire. RESULTS: We find that the most urgent (and manageable) aspects that merit attention are holistic hospital planning, initiatives to increase (administrative) innovation in the health-care system, incentives to increase prevention, and approaches to increase analytical quality assurance. CONCLUSION: We found that hospital planning, innovation, quality control, and prevention, are considered to be the topics most in need of attention in the German health system.

Medical Surge Capacity in Atlanta-Area Hospitals in Response to Tanker Truck Chemical Releases.

OBJECTIVE: We designed and conducted a regional full-scale exercise in 2007 to test the ability of Atlanta-area hospitals and community partners to respond to a terrorist attack involving the coordinated release of 2 dangerous chemicals (toluene diisocyanate and parathion) that were being transported through the area by tanker truck. METHODS: The exercise was designed to facilitate the activation of hospital emergency response plans and to test applicable triage, decontamination, and communications protocols. Plume modeling was conducted by using the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) V4 program. The scenario went through multiple iterations as exercise planners sought to reduce total injuries to a manageable, but stressful, level for Atlanta's health care infrastructure. RESULTS: Atlanta-area hospitals rapidly performed multiple casualty triage and were able to take in a surge of victims from the simulated attack. However, health care facilities were reticent to push the perceived manageable numbers of victims, and scenarios were modified significantly to lower the magnitude of the simulated attack. Additional coordination with community response partners and incident command training is recommended. Security at health care facilities and decontamination of arriving victims are two areas that will require continued review. CONCLUSION: Atlanta-area hospitals participated in an innovative regional exercise that pushed facilities beyond traditional scopes of practice and brought together numerous health care community response partners. Using lessons learned from this exercise coupled with subsequent real-world events and training exercises, participants have significantly enhanced preparedness levels and increased the metropolitan region's medical surge capacity in the case of a multiple casualty disaster.

Preparación Hospitalaria en incidentes NBQ / Hospital preparation in NBC incidents

Los incidentes de Goainia, Matsumoto, Tokio, así como la crisis del carbunco muestran que los hospitales intervienen de forma directa en la respuesta a incidentes NBQ, debiendo estar integrados en el sistema de respuesta a desastres junto con los servicios de asistencia prehospitalaria para poder dar una respuesta efectiva a este tipo de accidentes. Los retos organizativos y de gestión a los que tiene que hacer frente la estructura hospitalaria ante un incidente no sólo afectan a los servicios de urgencias, sino que trascienden a ésta, debiendo estar contemplados en el Plan de Emergencia del Centro Hospitalario. La respuesta pasa por el establecimiento de un plan de mejora continua en la instalación mediante la valoración del índice de seguridad de la instalación y la preparación, individual y colectiva, del centro sanitario para activar el plan de emergencias de forma inmediata una vez establecida la alarma, para así evitar los problemas de transferencia de contaminación a las instalaciones y al personal minimizando las consecuencias de un incidente NBQ

Goiania, Matsumoto and Tokyo incidents, as well as the anthrax crisis show that the hospitals are directly involved in the response to NBC incidents, which is why they must be integrated into the system of response to disasters together with prehospital care services in order to provide an effective response to such accidents. Organizational and management challenges that hospital faces in an incident do not only affect emergency services, they go beyond, so they must be considered in the Hospital`s Emergency Plan. The answer is the establishment of a plan for continuous improvement in the installation through the assessment of its safety index and through the preparation, individual and collective, of the health center in order to activate the emergency plan immediately once set the alarm, avoiding that way the transfer of contamination to facilities and staff and minimizing the consequences of a NBC incident

Stent for Life Initiative placed at the forefront in Egypt 2011.

AIMS: Myocardial infarction is a medical emergency in which 25 to 35% of patients will die before receiving medical attention. The Stent for Life registry was launched to access the current situation of the Egyptian population presenting with STEMI, and to determine what were the barriers to providing patients with cardiac problems appropriate care. METHODS AND RESULTS: This registry was conducted at 14 centres covered all the Egyptian regions including 1,324 consecutive patients presenting with STEMI during the period between January 1st, 2011 to November, 2011. Fourteen centres and 38 interventionalists participated in this registry; only six centres are Pilot Centres (fulfilling the criteria for a primary PCI centre) and were assigned at the end of 2011. Cardiovascular risk factors were mainly smoking (60.5%), dyslipidaemia (46.0%), diabetes (51.4%) and hypertension (56.0%). The mean age at presentation was 56.01±10.61years and 75.0% were male. Only 5% of the STEMI patients arrived via the emergency medical system. Thrombus aspiration was done in 42.7% of patients in primary PCI group and 25.9% in rescue PCI group. Bare metal stents (BMS) were used in 80.7% of the stented patients while drug eluting stents (DES) were used in 19.3% of the stented patients. In-hospital mortality was 2.9% (1.4% in primary PCI group, 1.1% in patients treated with thrombolysis and 0.4% in patients receiving no reperfusion therapy). CONCLUSION: Despite the logistical difficulties, excellent outcomes for acute interventional reperfusion strategy in STEMI can be achieved in our country, possibly similar to those seen in the West. There is a strong need for making the practice of PCI in STEMI more widespread in developing regions.

Stent for Life Initiative--the Greek experience.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) is considered the gold standard reperfusion strategy for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In the last two years, the Stent for Life (SFL) Initiative has aimed at expanding the use of p-PCI in Greece and several other European countries. During this short period of time, intensive efforts towards propagating the main objectives of the programme in Greece and important actions on the organisation and activation of two p-PCI networks in Athens, the Greek capital, and Patras in south-western Greece, have led to a dramatic nationwide increase of p-PCI rates among STEMI patients (from 9% to 32%). Especially in Athens, p-PCI is implemented in almost 60% of the cases with a diagnosis of STEMI. Recent data from the Greek national registry on acute coronary syndromes underscore the need to improve p-PCI time delays which are partially attributed to inter-hospital delays from hospitals with no p-PCI facilities to p-PCI hospitals. A national public campaign for the promotion of p-PCI is progressing very fast, while specific planning for the recruitment of additional hospitals in urban and rural areas to join old, or to form new p-PCI networks is still developing.

Mentality and organisational changes are key to developing primary angioplasty.

At the moment of signing the Stent for Life (SFL) Initiative on August 31st, 2009, it was shown that, in Serbia during 2008, 48% of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) did not receive any reperfusion and only 19% and 33% received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) or hospital thrombolysis, respectively. However, during 2009, there was a trend towards a substantial increase in p-PCI procedures. This was the result of the commitment of cardiologists, the contract signed by the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) for remuneration of catheterisation laboratory (cathlab) staff for each p-PCI procedure (2005), and the provision of new cathlabs by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The number of PCI centres and trained cardiologists has been rising simultaneously. Direct mobile telephone contact with interventional cardiologists has facilitated the transport of patients directly to cathlabs (from 7.5% before 2009 to 34.2% in 2010 and 2011). Although the number of patients treated with p-PCI is increasing (2006 - 647 p-PCIs; 2007 - 1,248 p-PCIs; 2008 -1,794 p-PCIs; 2009 - 2,468 p-PCIs; 2010 - 3,216 and 2011 - 3,498 p-PCIs), the percentage of patients who are treated within 120 minutes of establishing a diagnosis (first medical contact) is still not satisfactory (38%).

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention: models of intervention in Spain.

Early reperfusion of the occluded artery is the mainstay of the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and the best way to coordinate the resources to deliver optimal care as soon as possible is through STEMI networks. Coordination of the healthcare system is the responsibility of each of the 17 different autonomous communities in Spain. Since 2002, when the first STEMI network in Spain was established, six other communities have developed regional networks, covering 39% of the population in Spain. In the autonomous communities, after implementing an intervention model, an improvement in the reperfusion times with an increase in the number of primary percutaneous coronary interventions has been observed. This optimisation of the system has resulted in a decrease in the mortality rate among STEMI patients treated in Spanish communities with a STEMI network. Despite the encouraging advances, the challenge remains of assuring equity of treatment for all of our patients regardless of their region of residence.

Developing primary PCI as a national reperfusion strategy for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: the UK experience.

In 2004 in the United Kingdom (UK), the infrastructural and organisational changes required for implementation of primary PCI for treatment of STEMI were unclear, and the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of a changed reperfusion strategy had not been tested. In addition, any proposed change was to be made against the background of a previously successful in-hospital thrombolysis strategy, with plans for greater use of pre-hospital administration. A prospective study (the "National Infarct Angioplasty Project - NIAP") was set up to collect information on all patients presenting with STEMI in selected regions in the UK over a one year period (April 2005 - March 2006). The key findings from the NIAP project included that PPCI could be delivered within acceptable treatment times in a variety of geographical settings and that the shortest treatment times were achieved with direct admission to a PPCI-capable cardiac catheter laboratory. The transformation from a dominant lytic strategy to one of PPCI across the UK was achieved both swiftly and consistently with the help of 28 cardiac networks. By the second quarter of 2011, 94% of those STEMI patients in England who received reperfusion treatment were being treated by PPCI compared with 46% during the third quarter of 2008.

Decreasing STEMI mortality by implementing a PPCI network in Bulgaria.

This article describes the development of the p-PCI network in Bulgaria. Even though interventional treatment of STEMI in the country was introduced around 1990, it was not performed on a regular basis which made it largely inefficient. The paper tracks the network evolution with all the problems encountered and the solutions undertaken until the present moment. Historically, all the important factors concerning the implementation, such as spreading of PCI centres, networks and infrastructure, training and certification, emergency medical service, public awareness campaigns, 24/7 work, reimbursement, etc., are reviewed. Finally, the current increase of the percentage of STEMI patients treated by p-PCI and the decrease of overall STEMI mortality rates are shown, clearly demonstrating the huge value of the SFL know-how and contribution.

Designing a model for trauma system management using public health approach: the case of Iran.

Trauma is a leading cause of death and disability around the world. Injuries are responsible for about six million deaths annually, of which ninety percent occur in developing countries. In Iran, injuries are the most common cause of death among age groups below fifty. Trauma system development is a systematic and comprehensive approach to injury prevention and treatment whose effectiveness has been proved. The present study aims at designing a trauma system management model as the first step toward trauma system establishment in Iran. In this qualitative research, a conceptual framework was developed based on the public health approach and three well-known trauma system models. We used Benchmarks, Indicators and Scoring (BIS) to analyze the current situation of Iran trauma care system. Then the trauma system management was designed using the policy development phase of public health approach The trauma system management model, validated by a panel of experts, describes lead agency, trauma system plan, policy-making councils, and data-based control according to the four main functions of management: leading, planning, organizing and controlling. This model may be implemented in two phases: the exclusive phase, focusing on resource integration and the inclusive phase, which concentrates on system development. The model could facilitate the development of trauma system in Iran through pilot studies as the assurance phase of public health approach. Furthermore, the model can provide a practical framework for trauma system management at the international level.

Leading quality through the development of a multi-year corporate quality plan: sharing The Ottawa Hospital experience.

This article discusses the background and process for developing a multi-year corporate quality plan. The Ottawa Hospital's goal is to be a top 10% performer in quality and patient safety in North America. In order to create long-term measurable and sustainable changes in the quality of patient care, The Ottawa Hospital embarked on the development of a three-year strategic corporate quality plan. This was accomplished by engaging the organization at all levels and defining quality frameworks, aligning with internal and external expectations, prioritizing strategic goals, articulating performance measurements and reporting to stakeholders while maintaining a transparent communication process. The plan was developed through an iterative process that engaged a broad base of health professionals, physicians, support staff, administration and senior management. A literature review of quality frameworks was undertaken, a Quality Plan Working Group was established, 25 key stakeholder interviews were conducted and 48 clinical and support staff consultations were held. The intent was to gather information on current quality initiatives and challenges encountered and to prioritize corporate goals and then create the quality plan. Goals were created and then prioritized through an affinity exercise. Action plans were developed for each goal and included objectives, tasks and activities, performance measures (structure, process and outcome), accountabilities and timelines. This collaborative methodology resulted in the development of a three-year quality plan. Six corporate goals were outlined by the tenets of the quality framework for The Ottawa Hospital: access to care, appropriate care (effective and efficient), safe care and satisfaction with care. Each of the six corporate goals identified objectives and supporting action plans with accountabilities outlining what would be accomplished in years one, two and three. The three-year quality plan was approved by senior management and the board in April 2009. This process has supported The Ottawa Hospital's journey of excellence through the creation of a quality plan that will enable long-term measurable and sustainable changes in the quality of patient care. It also engaged healthcare providers who aim to achieve more measured quality patient care, engaged practitioners through collaboration resulting in both alignment of goals and outcomes and allowed for greater commitment by those responsible for achieving quality goals.

[Flexibility and safety in hospitals]. / Flessibilità e sicurezza negli ospedali.

The paper explains the reasons according to which the newly-planned hospitals must adopt the concept of advanced flexibility (structural, technological, organizational, diagnostic and therapeutic), in order to avoid the risk of being already obsolete at the moment of their opening, and this due to the fact that too much time elapses in this Country between the moment of planning a new hospital and the moment of the start of its activity. Flexibility is needed at different levels: at low or medium levels for what concerns administrative spaces and also patient rooms (except, in this latter case, when differential intensity of care is adopted); at advanced levelfor what concerns diagnostic and therapeutic areas, which must be rapidly adaptable to new solutions offered by advances in technology and organization. From a different standpoint, flexibility applies also to the fact that hospital must increasingly become a node of a large net including territorial health services: the latter devoted to take care of chronicity, while hospitals should concentrate on acute pathology. Of course the territory surrounding the hospital, through its outpatient service and consultories, is in charge also for first level diagnosy and therapy, leaving the hospital to more sophisticated activities.

Sustaining an inclusive trauma system in a rural state: the role of regional care systems, partnerships, and quality of care.

Different approaches exist for developing inclusive trauma systems with a regional system approach. The purpose of this article is to describe a sustainable and replicable structure for developing a trauma system with urban and rural environments. A relatively new trauma system is presented to show (1) how rural health networks and relationships can support rural trauma system development; (2) how partnerships help to support trauma system development; and (3) how the trauma system infrastructure has used assessment and assurance strategies to support regional systems of care to foster optimal care of the trauma patient.