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Chapter 18 - Communications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2020

By
Marina Zuetell
Edited by
Joseph McIsaac
Edited in association with
Kelly McQueen  and
Corry Kucik
Joseph McIsaac
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Kelly McQueen
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Corry Kucik
Affiliation:
United States Navy
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Summary

Hospitals and the healthcare systems are dependent upon reliable and redundant communication systems. Communications is the most common failure complaint following a disaster. When these systems fail, as they often do during a disaster or other event that puts an overload on normal ways of conducting business, there needs to be an ultimate, reliable fall-back solution. Volunteer communications experts, known as Amateur Radio operators can provide communications and hold things together until the commercial phones and radio systems can recover.

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Type
Chapter
Information
Essentials of Disaster Anesthesia , pp. 164 - 174
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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References

References

Zuetell, M. Providing efficient healthcare when the phones fail. Washington Family Physician, 2004;31(2):30–32.Google Scholar

Further Reading

ARRL – Amateur Radio Relay League – www.arrl.org/ (accessed September 2019)Google Scholar
ARRL – www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training (accessed September 2019)Google Scholar
FEMA Emergency Management Institute – https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx (accessed September 2019)Google Scholar
Hospital Disaster Support Communications System – www.hdscs.org (accessed September 2019)Google Scholar
Western Washington Medical Services Communications – www.ww7mst.org (accessed September 2019)Google Scholar
Zuetell M, Mariotti D. Ham system helps hospitals in disasters. Public Safety Communications, 2006 March, pp. 38–39.Google Scholar

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