Crisis Management in Hospitals

The crisis is defined as an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group or community by its negative change in the security, economic, political, societal or environmental affairs, especially when its occurs abruptly. If not properly managed, a crisis can become disaster. Crisis management (CM) is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders or the general public. It involves a continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing a number of measures to prevent danger, mitigate/reduce risks, build capacity & preparedness, assess impact, respond promptly, and perform actions for search, evacuation, rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Hospitals are amongst the first to be affected in crisis scenarios. Hospitals are called upon in the event of crises to provide care to large numbers of ill, injured, exposed and other individuals. In crisis events, a hospital becomes the nodal centre which is looked upon as caretaker of the community for provision of prompt and comprehensive medical and social care services. It is therefore required that the hospitals must be well prepared and equipped to handle such critical events. As CM is the extension of emergency services, the prerequisite of a well-functioning Emergency Department is essential in any hospital.

Ideally, a hospital CMP is a written document and should be upgraded by the concerned authorities from time to time. In such a CMP, generally, the Medical Superintendent (MS) or the Director of the hospital is the Chief Coordinator. The second in command [such as the Additional MS (AMS)] is the overall in-charge and the Chief Casualty Medical Officer (CCMO) is the Head of the Department of Accident & Emergency (A&E)/Casualty. The CMO is vested with the executive powers of the MS for a shift. Various job functions and responsibilities are assigned to specified officers and staff in this Plan. During any crisis situation (when a "Crisis Alert" is announced and CMP activated), all officers and staff perform in accordance with and in adherence to the Plan. There cannot be a single customized plan for universal application in hospitals. The goal of CM in any hospital is to provide best of healthcare and support services promptly and save as many lives as possible. Therefore the CMP for a hospital is designed and formulated with due consideration of the external and internal environments and available resources.

Therefore, CM is an important dimension in the overall management of healthcare institutions and hospitals. It is essential to have a good crisis management plan in place in every hospital to sensitize and prepare hospital staff and hospital resources for responding timely and efficiently to minimize the mortality and morbidity of the victims. This will not only help us in the present time but will also lead to sustainable