Emergency Department Preparedness for Early Detection and Management of an Infectious Disease Outbreak

Ghee Hian Lim
2010 Prehospital and Disaster Medicine  
Abstracts -IPRED 2010 citizens reporting having a minimal family emergency plan only has increased from 37% to 43%. More detailed questioning of respondents reveals that the proportion of those having complete and functional preparedness plans and supplies is, at best, half that amount. Interestingly, in a national, random-digit dial survey conducted by NCDP in 2008, it was asked whether others would turn to the respondent to lead them in an emergency (the "Lions"), whether they would safeguard
more » ... only themselves and their families (the "Lone Wolves"), or whether they would wait for others to help them (the "Lambs"). In this and other replicated survey work it was found that the trend among the general population is that approximately 20% are Lions, 60% are Lone Wolves, and the remaining 20% are Lambs. The uptake of actual preparedness varies significantly among these groups as well. In a logistic regression analysis of the 2008 national survey data, Lions were nearly three times as likely as Lambs to have complete family emergency plans, and Lone Wolves were nearly twice as likely. Given that it may be difficult to increase overall individual or family preparedness beyond a fixed ceiling, preparedness strategies might be more effectively customized by enhancing skills and situational awareness among the Lions, and by encouraging some proportion of the Lambs to be more skilled and more community-focused (so as to be more like Lions, and more likely to help Lambs). This presentation will explore how Lions, Lambs, and Lone Wolves can be incorporated in to a "herd preparedness" strategy.
doi:10.1017/s1049023x00022056 fatcat:svxgyxuyrrcyhfufr7fo5ep2cm