11th Regional Course on Hospital Emergency Preparedness and Response

Background:

Disasters, natural or human-generated, foreseen or without warning, with intensive or extensive risks, affect people and result to varying health effects and consequences. Survival rates of victims depend on array of factors especially the surge capacity of hospitals and health care facilities to manage the expanded demand of mass casualties for services and resources, as they manage the emergency incident. Cognizant of the need of hospitals to be prepared to ensure continuous operations during and even after a disaster strikes, and in times their services are needed most, a group of experts in the field of health emergency management in Asia have been working with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) to develop and implement Hospital Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) courses over the years.

The HEPR Course is designed to develop the knowledge and skills of administrative and medical personnel to prepare health care facilities to respond effectively, to ensure continuous operations during or even after disasters, and to recover for better from the impacts of disasters.

Course objectives and outcomes:

The course will enhance the knowledge and skills of participants to equip themselves on emergency planning (for the whole cycle of emergency management for all-hazard concept); reviewing and enhancing their current surge capacity to manage mass casualty-related emergencies; the concepts of hospital emergency management; and on applying knowledge gained on testing and updating emergency management plans and systems.

Upon completion of the course, the participants will be able to:

• Describe the roles of health care facilities in disaster management
• Apply tools and processes in preparing for, responding to, and recovering for better from the impacts of emergencies or disasters
• Discuss the basic requirements of managing the risks and mass casualty incidents with continuous hospital operations
• Manage a mass casualty incident exercise (preparation, conduct, evaluation)
• Apply Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) in a simulated exercise
• Apply on-site medical care concepts to specific emergency situations
• Prepare an outline of health care facility disaster preparedness, response, recovery and business continuity plans

Course methodology:

The HEPR course is delivered using adult learning techniques with emphasis on interactive lecture discussions, group exercises, workshops, plenary sessions, group brain storming, sharing of experiences and lessons learned, scenario-based group exercises and simulation exercise or drill.

Who should take this course?

The course is intended for health care facility staff, managers and administrators, who are responsible for hospital emergency planning, or any emergencies involving mass casualties that require the major resources of a hospital.

Facilitators:

Resource persons are experienced medical doctors, hospital administrators, professors and other allied medical professionals actively involved in the field of emergency management. They come from reputable institutions in Asia, both from the government and private sector. Their line of specialization ranges from Trauma Care of Disaster Victims, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Medicine, Hospital Management and Structural Safety.

Curriculum:

Course overview:

• Changing hazards and disaster risk management
• Establishing a “Hospital Safe from Disaster”
• Hospital surge capacity development
• Hospital workforce capacity development
• Managing mass casualty incidents
• Managing the risks of mass casualty incidents
• Managing pandemics in a hospital setting
• Hospital emergency management systems
• Risk communication and handling affected families
• Hospital security in crisis
• Hospital recovery and building resilient hospital
• Emergency management and business continuity planning
• Simulation drill

New topics:

• Hospital surge capacity development
• Hospital business continuity plan development
• Building resilient hospital to emergencies
• Establishing a 'Hospital Safe from Disasters'

Best practices:

• Hospital security in crisis
• Managing pandemic in a hospital setting
• 'Hospital Safe from Disasters'

Language:

The course is currently offered in English only. Extensive reading and participatory learning methods are used. Participants will receive pre-reading materials before arriving at the course site. An interactive simulation exercise on the last day gives participants an opportunity to use the skills and knowledge learned during the course. Participants should be fluent in reading and speaking English.

Course fee:

Course Package A: USD1,575 without accommodation

Course Package B: USD2,000 with accommodation and breakfast