Objectives: Our institution relocated to a new facility 3.5 miles from our original location in Chicago on June 9, 2012. We describe the tools we developed to prepare, execute, and manage our evacuation and relocation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: In the aftermath of the detonation of a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or "dirty bomb," a large influx of children would be expected to present to the emergency department, including many patients not directly affected by the event who present with concerns regarding radiation exposure. Our objective was to develop an algorithm for efficiently and effectively triaging and appropriately treating children based on the likelihood of their having been contaminated or exposed.
Methods: The hospital's disaster preparedness committee with the help of disaster planning experts engaged in an iterative process to develop a triage questionnaire and patient flow algorithm for a pediatric hospital following an RDD event.