Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nr4z6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T16:55:34.526Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Building Toward a Disaster Resilient Health System: A Study of Hospital Resilience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2022

Jenny Luke ,
Richard C. Franklin Open the ORCID record for Richard C. Franklin [Opens in a new window] ,
Joanne Dyson  and
Peter Aitken
Jenny Luke
Affiliation:
College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Science, James Cook University, Australia; Mackay Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health, Australia
Richard C. Franklin*
Affiliation:
College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Australia
Joanne Dyson
Affiliation:
Metro South Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health, Australia
Peter Aitken
Affiliation:
School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, Deputy Chief Health Officer, Queensland Health, Australia
*
Corresponding author: Richard C. Franklin, Email: richard.franklin@jcu.edu.au.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

This research evaluated the resilience of 6 tertiary and rural health facilities within a single Australian Health Service, using the World Health Organization (WHO) Hospital Safety Index (HSI). This adaptation of the HSI was compared with existing national accreditation and facility design Standards to assess disaster preparedness and identify opportunities for improvement.

Methods:

This cross-sectional descriptive study surveyed 6 hospitals that provide 24/7 emergency department and acute inpatient services. HSI assessments, comprising 151 previously validated criteria, were conducted by Health Service engineers and facility managers before being externally reviewed by independent disaster management professionals.

Results:

All facilities were found to be highly disaster resilient, with each recording high HSI scores. Variances in structure, architectural safety, continuity of critical services supply, and emergency plans were consistently identified. Power and water supply vulnerabilities are common to previously reported vulnerabilities in health facilities of developing countries.

Conclusion:

Clinical, engineering, and disaster management professionals assessed 6 Australian hospitals using the WHO HSI with each facility scoring highly, genuine vulnerabilities and practical opportunities for improvement were identified. This application of the WHO HSI, intended for use primarily in developing countries and disaster-affected regions, complimented and extended the existing Australian national health service accreditation and facility design Standards. These results support the expansion of existing assessment tools used to assess Australian health facility disaster preparedness and resilience.

Keywords

hospitalresilienceassessmenthospital safety indexdisastersocio-natural disaster
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e219
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

The Australian Government. DisasterAssist. Accessed January 5, 2020. https://www.disasterassist.gov.au/Pages/australian-disasters.aspx Google Scholar
Queensland Reconstruction Authority. The social and economic cost of the North and Far North Queensland Monsoon Trough (2019). Deloitte Access Economics Pty Ltd; 2019.Google Scholar
CRED. EM-DAT database. 2018. Accessed October 27, 2018. https://www.emdat.be/ Google Scholar
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Queensland State Natural Hazard Risk Assessment (2017). Accessed August 31, 2022. https://www.disaster.qld.gov.au/cdmp/Documents/Emergency-Risk-Mgmt/QLD-State-Natural-Risk-Assessment-2017.pdf Google Scholar
Rockenschaub, G, Harbou, KV. Disaster resilient hospitals: an essential for all-hazards emergency preparedness. World Hosp Health Serv. 2013;49(4):28-30.Google ScholarPubMed
Djalali, A, Castren, M, Khankeh, H, et al. Hospital disaster preparedness as measured by functional capacity: a comparison between Iran and Sweden. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(5):454-461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Albanese, J, Birnbaum, M, Cannon, C, et al. Fostering disaster resilient communities across the globe through the incorporation of safe and resilient hospitals for community-integrated disaster responses. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008;23(5):385-390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Little, M, Stone, T, Stone, R, et al. The evacuation of cairns hospitals due to severe tropical Cyclone Yasi. Acad Emerg Med. 2012;19(9):E1088-E1098.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rojek, A, Little, M. Review article: evacuating hospitals in Australia: what lessons can we learn from the world literature? Emerg Med Aust. 2013;25(6):496-502.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, DW, Hayes, B, Gray, NA, et al. Renal services disaster planning: lessons learnt from the 2011 Queensland floods and North Queensland cyclone experiences. Nephrology (Carlton). 2013;18(1):41-46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wulff, K, Donato, D, Lurie, N. What is health resilience and how can we build it? Annu Rev Public Health. 2015;36:361-374.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kruk, ME, Myers, M, Varpilah, ST, et al. What is a resilient health system? Lessons from Ebola. Lancet. 2015;385(9980):1910-1912.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhong, S, Clark, M, Hou, X-Y, et al. Development of hospital disaster resilience: conceptual framework and potential measurement. Emerg Med J. 2014;31(11):930-938.Google ScholarPubMed
Luke, J, Franklin, R, Aitken, P, et al. Safer hospital infrastructure assessments for socio-natural disaster – a scoping review. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(5):627-635.Google ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization. Hospitals safe from disasters: reduce risk, protect health facilities, save lives. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR);2007.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. Hospital safety index: guide for evaluators. 2015. Accessed August 31, 2022. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/258966 Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health Welfare. Hospital Resources 2017–18: Australian Hospital Statistics. AIHW; 2019.Google Scholar
Djalali, A, Ardalan, A, Ohlen, G, et al. Nonstructural safety of hospitals for disasters: a comparison between two capital cities. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2014:1-6.Google ScholarPubMed
Asefzadeh, S, Varyani, AS, Gholami, S. Disaster risk assessment in educational hospitals of Qazvin based on WHO pattern in 2015. Electron Physician. 2016;8(1):1770-1775.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bajow, NA, Alkhalil, SM. Evaluation and analysis of hospital disaster preparedness in Jeddah. Health. 2014;6(19):2668-2687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baruwal, A, Gonzalez, PA, Delgado, RC, et al. Validation study of the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization hospital-based disaster preparedness questionnaires in Nepal. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;10(4):537-538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Der-Martirosian, C, Radcliff, TA, Gable, AR, et al. Assessing hospital disaster readiness over time at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):46-57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Djalali, A, Massumi, A, Ohlén, G, et al. Comparison of safety index in Iranian hospitals. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(S1):s78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ardalan, A, Keleh, MK, Saberinia, A, et al. 2015 estimation of hospitals safety from disasters in I.R.Iran: the results from the assessment of 421 hospitals. PLoS One. 2016;11(9):e0161542.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dobalian, A, Stein, JA, Radcliff, TA, et al. Developing valid measures of emergency management capabilities within US Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(5):475-484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alexakis, LC, Codreanu, TA, Stratton, SJ. Water and power reserve capacity of health facilities in the Greek islands. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(2):146-150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Achour, N, Miyajima, M, Pascale, F, et al. Hospital resilience to natural hazards: classification and performance of utilities. Disaster Prev Manage. 2014;23(1):40-52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mulyasari, F, Inoue, S, Prashar, S, et al. Disaster preparedness: looking through the lens of hospitals in Japan. Int J Disaster Risk Sci. 2013;4(2):89-100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Labarda, C, Labarda, MDP, Lamberte, EE. Hospital resilience in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Disaster Prev Manage. 2017;26(4):424-436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devlen, A. How to build a comprehensive business continuity programme for a healthcare organisation. J Bus Contin Emerg Plan. 2009;4(1):47-61.Google ScholarPubMed
Blake, N. Disaster preparedness: mitigation, response, and recovery to ensure staffing excellence in Los Angeles County. Nurs Econ. 2019;37(5):231-240.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service. Joint health service investigation - Ravenshoe post incident review. Queensland Health; 2016.Google Scholar
ABC News. Freight train carrying sulphuric acid derails near Julia Creek, prompts Flinders Highway closure. December 26, 2015. Accessed September 1, 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-27/freight-train-derails-in-outback-queensland-near-julia-creek/7055686 Google Scholar
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Tullamarine chemical spill, 2004. 2020. Accessed May 18, 2020. https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/industrial-tullamarine-chemical-spill/ Google Scholar