Majority of the first responders and care providers during a disaster are nurses-- during a disaster
the objective of treatment switches we are not trying to provide individualized high quality care
but instead were are providing care on a population-base and saving as many lives as possible
A disaster is a emergency in which there is a severe magnitude which results in injury, illness,
and property damage which cannot be managed with routine resources and procedures
Disaster planning is broad in scope and you want to build off from the previous experience etc
and incorporate them into your new plan
What three critical C's are needed to help decrease mortality and morbidity during a disaster
communication, collaboration, and coordination
Not only do you want the plan to address the short term effects but you also want it to address
the long term effects
There are four main parts to disaster planning (five because you should add evaluation) 1)
preparedness
2) Response
3) Mitigation
4) Recovery
5) Evaluation
Preparedness is the preparation that makes you prepared prior to the occurrence of a disaster
you want to look at potential risk-- who is at risk
also want to practice to make sure that you have communication, roles are clearly defined, and
that drills have been taken
Response is the implementation of the disaster plan
it includes activities that are used to address the event
it focuses on emergency relief such as saving lives, providing food and water, providing first aid
what should always occur with the plan it should be updated, clear and concise, simple to
understand and practiced
Recovery focuses on returning the community or area back to normal
Mitigation is measures that are taken to reduce or eliminate the impact of a disaster
Evaluation is often the aspect that receives the least amount of attention, but you always want to
evaluate what worked and what did not work, and then look at how this can effect future
planning and future disasters
There are three components to the life cycle of a disaster
1) Pre-disaster
2) Impact
3) Post-disaster
Following a disaster (post impact stage) there can be an increase in communicable or non-
communicable disease-- this is due to population displacement, close living areas, potential lack
of clean water and food, loss of services and disruption of satiation
Natural disasters are those that occur due to forces in nature that are not a result of human
activity
do they lack controllability and predictability? yes
some natural disasters include hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornados
Epidemic is an increase in the number of cases of a specific disease/illness in a specific time
Pandemic are epidemics which are worldwide (global)