An Examination of Communication, Information, and Resource Management Linkages among Community Hospitals and Emergency Management Agencies

Abstract

Hospitals play a primary role in a community during mass casualty events. To optimize community response to a disaster, it is crucial for local and state emergency management agencies (EMAs) to have pre-established and well-developed communication, information, and resource (CIR) management linkages with local hospitals since they cannot effectively provide patient care if they are rendered non-operational.

The objectives of this research were three-fold: (1) to determine the current state, post 9/11/01, of CIR management linkages during mass casualty events among EMAs and area hospitals in large U.S. cities; (2) to identify and investigate a real-world model of strong CIR linkages; and (3) to determine how weaknesses in current CIR linkages could be strengthened, including the role of information technology in supporting these improvements.

The objectives were accomplished by initially reviewing historical CIR linkages among EMAs and hospitals. This served as the foundation for the development and conduct of a survey to determine the state of the practice, post 9/11, of CIR linkages among hospitals and EMAs in several large cities across the country. Of particular interest was whether the post-9/11 influx of resources and attention to emergency preparedness concerns had yielded any improvements in CIR linkages. The results of this effort are presented, along with key research findings and recommendations for future improvements in CIR linkages among EMAs and hospitals to optimize community mass casualty event response. This includes a best practices case study of relationship and linkage-building efforts in Phoenix, Arizona.