The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in the
health care system and how we deliver care. The Emergency
Department is often on the frontline when making difficult
decisions regarding care when resources become scarce. It is
important to address this with education on crisis standards of
care as well as scrutiny of existing models. This includes
challenging how they are best designed to meet our current needs,
where there might be crucial gaps in the assessment of need and
delivery of care, and when they must be implemented.
Presenter:
Martha Meredith Masters, Clinical
Assistant Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine
UC Davis Health took a very unique approach to Crisis Standards
of Care, perhaps the most difficult topic to plan for in any
setting. What is a hospital supposed to do when there are not
enough resources to go around in a disaster? How do you have
these conversations? Who should be involved? The first answer:
everyone. Consensus is key, and paramount. Please join us to
learn how UCDH convened a group of physicians, bioethicists,
communications specialists, and disaster planners to work through
this incredibly arduous topic.
The
National Library of Medicine Website provides information and
resources on how to handle the emotional, mental, and
physical aftermath of disasters, violence, and traumatic events.
In 2006 the American Nurses Association (ANA) embarked on a new
effort to engage the nursing profession in the policy
development process on a timely policy issue impacting their
profession.
The resulting policy document addresses topics relevant to health
professionals who provide care during extreme emergencies and
with scarce resources.
