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Evaluation of Disaster Preparedness Based on Simulation Exercises: A Comparison of Two Models

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2016

Andres Rüter*
Affiliation:
Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Lisa Kurland
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Dan Gryth
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Anaesthesiology and Intensive care, Stockholm, Sweden
Jason Murphy
Affiliation:
Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Monica Rådestad
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Ahmadreza Djalali
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden Center for Research and Education in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Novara, Italy.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Anders Rüter, Sophiahemmet University, Box 5605, S-114 86 Stockholm, Sweden (e-mail: anders.ruter@shh.se).

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to highlight 2 models, the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and the Disaster Management Indicator model (DiMI), for evaluating the in-hospital management of a disaster situation through simulation exercises.

Methods

Two disaster exercises, A and B, with similar scenarios were performed. Both exercises were evaluated with regard to actions, processes, and structures. After the exercises, the results were calculated and compared.

Results

In exercise A the HICS model indicated that 32% of the required positions for the immediate phase were taken under consideration with an average performance of 70%. For exercise B, the corresponding scores were 42% and 68%, respectively. According to the DiMI model, the results for exercise A were a score of 68% for management processes and 63% for management structure (staff skills). In B the results were 77% and 86%, respectively.

Conclusions

Both models demonstrated acceptable results in relation to previous studies. More research in this area is needed to validate which of these methods best evaluates disaster preparedness based on simulation exercises or whether the methods are complementary and should therefore be used together. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:544–548).

Type
Brief Reports
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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