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A Pilot Assessment of Hospital Preparedness for Bioterrorism Events

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Craig D. Thorne ,
Howard Levitin ,
Marc Oliver ,
Sue Losch-Skidmore ,
Beth A. Neiley ,
Myra M. Socher  and
Patricia W. Gucer
Craig D. Thorne*
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Occupational Health Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Howard Levitin
Affiliation:
DQE, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Marc Oliver
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Occupational Health Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Sue Losch-Skidmore
Affiliation:
DQE, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Beth A. Neiley
Affiliation:
Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia, USA
Myra M. Socher
Affiliation:
TriMed, Arlington, Virginia, USA George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
Patricia W. Gucer
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Occupational Health Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
*
Craig D. Thorne, MD, MPH University of Maryland School of Medicine, Occupational Health Program, 405 West Redwood Street, 2nd floor Baltimore, Maryland 21201 E-mail: cthorne@umm.edu
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Abstract

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Objective:

Lessons on question content and refinement of a 2003 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-Health Resources Services Administration (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-Health Resources Services) pilot hospital preparedness assessment tool designed to capture activities in more detail than previous studies are reported in this study.

Methods:

Responses from fixed-choice questions, including organizational and geographical differences, were analyzed using the chi-square test. Openended questions were evaluated qualitatively.

Results:

Of the respondents, 91% had developed plans and 97% designated a bio-event coordinator, but only 47% had allocated funds. Urban hospitals were more likely to participate in regional infectious disease monitoring. Hospitals that participated in a network were more likely to fund preparedness, share bio-event coordinators and medical directors, and provide advanced training.

Conclusions:

Several issues deserve further study: (1) hospital networks may provide the structure to promote preparedness; (2) specific procedures (e.g., expanding outpatient treatment capacity) have not been tested; and (3) special attention should be directed towards integrating non-urban hospitals into regional surveillance systems to ensure early identification of infectious disease outbreaks.

Keywords

assessmentbioterrorismhospitalruralpreparednessurban
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 6 , December 2006 , pp. 414 - 422
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2006

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