Collaborative Opportunities for Emergency Nurses

◊ Free JCAHO Guide on Surge Hospitals

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and its affiliate Joint Commission Resources announced the release of a free web-based publication, Surge Hospitals: Providing Safe Care in Emergencies. The free guide can be downloaded at www.jcaho.org/about+us/public+policy+initiatives/surge_hospital.htm

Surge hospitals are designed to assist the community in absorbing an overwhelming number of patients seeking care during emergencies, such as mass-casualty events or infectious disease outbreaks. Surge hospitals provide care when permanent facilities exhaust their capacity or cannot operate because of damage or other conditions.

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, local hospitals and state health officials along the Gulf Coast established surge hospitals at the Dallas Convention Center, a Texas veterinary hospital and other locations. Surge Hospitals: Providing Safe Care in Emergencies includes case studies on five of these temporary facilities.

This guide also describes the different types of surge hospitals-such as shuttered hospitals, closed wards in existing hospitals, and mobile facilities-and the design considerations for each. It also explores the challenges of planning for, establishing, and operating surge hospitals, such as obtaining sufficient staff, supplies, and equipment, and providing safe care.