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JCAHO: Benchmarks needed to promote emergency preparedness

Medical Staff Leader Connection, June 13, 2006

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A new study from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has found that community-based preparation for and response to disasters will require more effective communication and planning among hospitals, public health agencies, and community first responders than currently exists. The study also found that national benchmarks are needed to measure and promote emergency preparedness training.

Published in the June 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study is the first large-scale national assessment of how closely hospitals and their communities are collaborating and planning for natural or other disasters, according to the JCAHO. A mailed survey was used to gauge the self-reported linkages of 678 U.S. hospitals to their communities related to:

• training
• drills
• equipment
• surveillance
• laboratory testing
• surge capacity
• incident management
• communication

According to the study, most hospitals (88%) engaged in community-wide drills and most (82%) conducted a collaborative threat and vulnerability analysis with community responders. The study found that performance in many of the areas measured was better in large and urban hospitals, and was associated with a high number of perceived hazards, previous national security event preparation, and experience in actual response.

To read the study, click here.

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