Pediatric Aspects of Hospital Preparedness

The frequency of national and international disaster events, increased media attention, and regulatory changes have all contributed to an improved public awareness of the vital role hospitals play in a crisis. Although hospital disaster preparedness efforts have matured dramatically since the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks, much work still remains to prepare all hospitals for potential pediatric victims. This article emphasizes key emergency response aspects of hospital preparedness for disasters involving children, in particular (1) hospital-based incident command, (2) strategies for operational continuity, (3) pediatric principles of surge capacity, (4) development of decontamination protocols, (5) infection control, (6) sheltering in place, and (7) evacuation strategies.