Understand Disasters and Planning in Nursing Part 2

As we have explained the phases and some basics of disaster planning in our first part of our article on disaster and disaster planning we will get a bit more involved in this article by explaining the levels of disasters, triage rating system and information collection.

The American Red Cross (ARC) operates shelters, provides disaster health services, and provides assistance to meet immediate emergency needs. Nurses are directly involved with the ARC and assume many functions such as managers, educators, and supervisors. As a nurse you can provide services such as blood collection drives, disaster relief, and immunization programs.

Levels of a disaster:

Level I - is considered a massive disaster this would include significant damage, results in a presidential disaster declaration with major federal involvement which includes full engagement of national, regional and federal resources.

Level II - is considered a moderate disaster this would likely include a presidential declaration of an emergency which would include moderate federal assistance.

Level III - is considered a minor disaster and would include minimal level of damage. This may or may not result in a presidential declaration of an emergency.

Once a federal emergency has been declared the FRP (federal response plan) make take effect and activate the ESFs (emergency support functions). FRP and ESFs include sheltering, performing emergency first aid, providing disaster welfare information system, feeding, and the coordination of bulk distribution of relief supplies. DMATs (disaster medical assistance teams) are specially trained individuals that are sent to a disaster area to provide medical care to victims until an evacuation to a hospital can be implemented.

Triage Rating System:

Delayed (non-urgent) - Victim's have no injury, victims are non critical and ambulatory. This would be your minor lacerations, cold symptoms and sprains.

Urgent - Victim's that need to be treated within 45 to 60 minutes time frame. This would be your simple fractures, fever, hypertension, abdominal pain, asthma without respiratory distress.

Life Threatening (emergent) - Victim's that have life-threatening injuries, but they are readily correctible. This would include trauma, chest pain, limb amputation, cardiac arrest and acute neurological deficits.

Data Collection:

Primary data collection - the purpose of primary data collection is to identify the victim's problem that pose an immediate or potential threat to their lives. The information is gathered primarily through objective date, assessing for abnormalities and immediate interventions are initiated.

As a guide the nurse will use the ABC's (airway, breathing and circulation) to assess the client's needs, the nurse will also assess for any signs and symptoms of a traumatic injury such as head injury or cervical spine injury.

Secondary data collection - Is performed after primary data collection is collected and after treatment of any problems that may have been identified. Subjective and objective data are both obtained for secondary data collection. This would include your patient's history, general overview of situation, vital signs, neurological, pain, and complete or focused physical assessments.