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Simulation of a Hospital Disaster Plan: A Virtual, Live Exercise

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Jeffrey M. Franc-Law ,
Michael Bullard  and
F. Della Corte
Jeffrey M. Franc-Law*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Michael Bullard
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
F. Della Corte
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
*
Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine University of Alberta Hospital, 8440—112 Street Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2B7 E-mail: jfl@disastermed.ca
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Abstract

Introduction:

Currently, there is no widely available method to evaluate an emergency department disaster plan. Creation of a standardized patient data- base and the use of a virtual, live exercise may lead to a standardized and reproducible method that can be used to evaluate a disaster plan.

Purpose:

A virtual, live exercise was designed with the primary objective of evaluating a hospital's emergency department disaster plan. Education and training of participants was a secondary goal.

Methods:

A database (disastermed.ca) of histories, physical examination findings, and laboratory results for 136 simulated patients was created using information derived from actual patient encounters.The patient database was used to perform a virtual, live exercise using a training version of the emergency department's information system software.

Results:

Several solutions to increase patient flow were demonstrated during the exercise. Conducting the exercise helped identify several faults in the hospital disaster plan, including outlining the important rate-limiting step. In addition, a significant degree of under-triage was demonstrated. Estimates of multiple markers of patient flow were identified and compared to Canadian guidelines. Most participants reported that the exercise was a valuable learning experience.

Conclusions:

A virtual, live exercise using the disastermed.ca patient database was an inexpensive method to evaluate the emergency department disaster plan. This included discovery of new approaches to managing patients, delineating the rate-limiting steps, and evaluating triage accuracy. Use of the patient timestamps has potential as a standardized international benchmark of hospital disaster plan efficacy. Participant satisfaction was high.

Keywords

computer simulationdisaster planhospitalteachingvirtual live exercise
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , August 2008 , pp. 346 - 353
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2008

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