Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. That’s an adage the trauma team at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center certainly lives by.
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. That’s an adage the trauma team at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center certainly lives by. “We hope you never need our trauma services, but we routinely practice and test our skills to make sure we are ready if and when you ever do.” Joseph Love, D.O., is the medical director for the INTEGRIS Health trauma program. He is pleased with how our caregivers performed during a recent disaster drill held at the facility. “We learned that we have places to work on, which is what we do it for. If you go into a situation like a mass casualty drill and don’t come out with a plan to fix things, then I think you’ve missed the boat.”
The drill was designed to mimic the chaos that comes in a true emergency that sends multiple victims to the hospital at once. The fake scenario involved a train accident with severe injuries. Actors with life-like looking wounds showed up at the emergency room unannounced. Some by ambulance, others arriving in personal vehicles. In all, the hospital received 27 pseudo patients. Each one had a card with them detailing their imaginary condition, degree of injury and level of consciousness. It was a surprise drill, meaning our unsuspecting teams from several different departments had to react accordingly and do exactly what they would do if the situation was real.
“You’re testing the system,” Love explains. “To be able to push security, clear the hallway, make sure the blood bank is there. Even things like, did we have enough beds or IV fluids or whatever it might be. Those things become really important. So, it’s empowering people to know what their role is in a situation like that, and the only way you can really do that is by testing it and practicing it.”
While emergency and trauma teams are on the front lines, a successful response requires coordination across the entire hospital. From incident command providing leadership and resource coordination to registration, inpatient units, dietary, radiology and so many others. Every department plays a critical role in ensuring the hospital can effectively manage a large-scale emergency while maintaining safe patient care and essential operations.
State regulatory guidelines require hospitals to conduct two such drills a year. Hospitals with trauma centers have to do an additional drill specific to that area.
