Contingency Planning
Read the following article: Alaska, Y. A, Khan, A. A., & Shalhoub, A. A. (2017). Evaluation of disaster preparedness for mass casualty incidents in private hospitals Central Saudi Arabia (Links to an external site.). Saudi Medical Journal, 38(3), 302–306.
It is sometimes said that a worst possible scenario is to be unprepared during an emergency. In healthcare, we often refer to the idea that we are prepared for any type of crisis; we have an emergency room after all. Surely healthcare organizations would not need to place emphasis on additional planning, right?
Using the questions below, your text, lecture, and scholarly articles as a guide, create an emergency preparedness or contingency plan for your department, organization, or facility.
When is the best time to prepare for disaster?
Who are some of the key stakeholders with whom healthcare organizations should communicate to ensure a well-rounded, all-hazards plan?
What are the key metrics that might be deemed critical prior to an event’s occurrence and some of the information requirements during and after an event? Why would such information be of importance?
What metrics might be used to examine readiness or resilience? Why do you feel those metrics are important?
From an operations management perspective, why is contingency management so important within a healthcare setting?
How might you, as a healthcare administrator, use such information to gauge your organization’s readiness or preparedness for crisis?
Your paper should be 3-4 pages (not including cover and reference pages).
Provide support for your statements using in-text citations from a minimum of 4-5 scholarly articles. These sources should not be more than 3-5 years old. Two of these sources may be from the class readings, textbook, or lectures, but four must be external.
