Health Policy on Work Environment and Emergency Preparedness

1 Health Policy on Work Environment and Emergency Preparedness Health organizations are required to be at all times, prepared to handle emergency situations. Emergencies may result from accidents, natural disasters and attacks, which could result in mass casualty. Emergency preparedness determines the response plan in such situations, which consequently affects outcomes in terms of effectiveness in containing the emergency.

Having a policy in place guides the practices and procedures used in emergency response situations, promoting an effective working environment for both patients and staff.

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2 Emergency Preparedness in Disasters Disasters result in emergency situations, which could easily affect services and operations in a healthcare environment. In such situations, prompt response is needed to handle mass casualties while ensuring normal operations are not significantly affected. Depending on the kind of disaster, different approaches may need to be used to prevent loss of lives. Immediate activation of emergency response measures is therefore required, and should be properly planned to achieve desired outcomes. Preparedness in emergencies makes it possible for health organizations to deal with a surge in patients requiring emergency treatment while protecting staff from harm (Veenema et al., 2016).

Emergency preparedness ensures a smooth transition from normal operations to emergency operations to ensure continuity even with the disruption of services caused in emergencies (Carbone & Thomas, 2018). Every department within the facility has an important role to play during an emergency. Nurses are involved in designing policies on emergency preparedness as well as implementing emergency response plans.

How Policy Affects Nursing Practice in Emergency Response to Disasters Health policies inform the way things are carried out in healthcare settings. They provide procedures that are to be followed and action plans that are are to be adhered to. Having policies in place to guide emergency response is essential in every healthcare setting. The policies ensure the right actions are taken during emergencies and point out the individual responsibilities of the response team members. This ensures orderliness and effective management of casualties (Carbone & Thomas, 2018).

Such policies impact nursing practice in times of emergency. It delineates how the nursing department will respond to the emergency, which may cause a sudden shift in operations

3 within the department. The expected response from nursing department is often laid out clearly in emergency response plans. Nurses can be involved in providing emergency treatment, triaging patients received in the emergency department, coordinate care with other response team members and maintaining operations within the department (Amberson, Wells & Gossman, 2020).

The numbers of casualties being received may overwhelm the available staff creating the need for referrals, which is also expected to be facilitated by nurses. In other instances, nurses might have to take up additional responsibilities to ensure the emergency care needs of casualties are met. Emergency response policies provide guidelines on how proper staffing will be met in disasters, as well as shifts management to minimize burnout and ensure continuity in coverage (Carbone & Thomas, 2018).

Conclusion Emergency preparedness makes it possible for healthcare facilities to act in an effective and timely manner. Since disasters disrupt normal operations, having response plans makes it easier to control emergencies and to efficiently carry out emergency operations. This includes having policies that guide on what has to be done in emergency situations and what is expected from every department. Policies ensure that emergencies are handled in a planned manner and minimizes the confusion that may arise in emergencies.

4 References Amberson, T., Wells, C., & Gossman, S. (2020). Increasing disaster preparedness in emergency nurses: a quality improvement initiative. Journal of emergency nursing, 46(5), 654-665. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000476169.28424.0b Carbone, E. G., & Thomas, E. V. (2018). Science as the basis of public health emergency preparedness and response practice: the slow but crucial evolution. American journal of public health, 108(S5), S383-S386. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304702.

Veenema, T. G., Griffin, A., Gable, A. R., MacIntyre, L., Simons, R. N., Couig, M. P., ... & Larson, E. (2016). Nurses as leaders in disaster preparedness and response—a call to action. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 48(2), 187-200. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12198