ABSTRACT
Emergency situations only recently have come to include terrorist threats, such as radiation, biological and chemical attacks, and bombings. The importance of emergency preparedness in health care facilities has increased as a result of recent terrorist threats. Perioperative leaders must meet the challenge of preparing their departments for a wide range of potential disasters. This article describes how a facility can prepare for both natural and man-made disasters and reviews modifications to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' disaster preparedness standards.
Subject(s)
Disaster Planning/organization & administration , Emergencies/nursing , Operating Rooms/organization & administration , Perioperative Nursing/organization & administration , Communication , Disaster Planning/standards , Humans , Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations , Surgical Equipment , Terrorism , United StatesABSTRACT
Perioperative nursing typically is a small part of nursing school curricula, which makes it difficult to recruit new graduates into the perioperative field. St Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, has taken a unique approach to addressing this problem by establishing a collaborative relationship with Prairie View A&M University, Houston. This collaborative relationship introduces perioperative nursing to nursing students who may never have considered the OR as an area of practice. In addition, it provides an opportunity for students to network with perioperative nurses, and it serves as a method for recruiting new graduates to St Luke's Episcopal Hospital.
