Effective Care Delivery Research Articles

The "Top 10" research and development priorities for battlefield surgical care: Results from the Committee on Surgical Combat Casualty Care research gap analysis.

The US Military has achieved the highest casualty survival rates in its history. However, there remain multiple areas in combat trauma that present challenges to the delivery of high-quality and effective trauma care. Previous work has identified research priorities for pre-hospital care, but there has been no similar analysis for forward surgical care. A list of critical "focus areas" was developed by the Committee on Surgical Combat Casualty Care (CoSCCC). Individual topics were solicited and mapped to appropriate focus areas by group consensus and review of Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) and Joint Trauma System guidelines. A web-based survey was distributed to the CoSCCC and the military committees of EAST and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Topics were rated on a Likert scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high priority). Descriptives, univariate statistics, and inter-rater correlation analysis was performed. 13 research focus areas were identified (eight clinical and five adjunctive categories). Ninety individual topics were solicited. The survey received 64 responses. The majority of respondents were military (90%) versus civilians (10%). There was moderate to high agreement (inter-rater correlation coefficient = 0.93, p < 0.01) for 10 focus areas. The top five focus areas were Personnel/Staffing (mean, 8.03), Resuscitation and Hemorrhage Management (7.49), Pain/Sedation/Anxiety Management (6.96), Operative Interventions (6.9), and Initial Evaluation (6.9). The "Top 10" research priorities included four in Personnel/Staffing, four in Resuscitation/Hemorrhage Management, and three in Operative Interventions. A complete list of the topics/scores will be presented. This is the first objective ranking of research priorities for combat trauma care. The "Top 10" priorities were all from three focus areas, supporting prioritization of personnel/staffing of austere teams, resuscitation/hemorrhage control, and damage-control interventions. This data will help guide Department of Defense research programs and new areas for prioritized funding of both military and civilian researchers. Study design, level IV.

Emerging evidence of the value of health assessments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the primary healthcare setting.

The launch of the third edition of the National guide to preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in March 2018 heralds a renewed commitment to improving the delivery of preventive care, and should reinvigorate discussions on the effectiveness of Indigenous-specific health assessments and how best to implement them. A substantial body of evidence on adherence to guideline-recommended care has been generated through a research-based continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiative conducted between 2010 and 2014. The research, which involved clinical audits of more than 17000 client records and 119 systems assessments relating to preventive care in 137 Indigenous primary healthcare centres across Australia, shows that a structured CQI program can improve the delivery of preventive health assessments and use of evidence-based guidelines. However, program implementation has also seen the emergence of new challenges. This paper reflects on four major lessons from this collaborative program of applied research that will lead to more effective delivery of preventive care.

Effect of vibration during local anesthesia administration on pain, anxiety, and behavior of pediatric patients aged 6–11 years: A crossover split-mouth study

BackgroundUncooperative behavior of children due to dental anxiety may interfere with the effective delivery of dental care and compromise the quality of treatment provided. Injection of local anesthesia is one of the most anxiety-inducing stimuli in pediatric dentistry. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a child-friendly device, having a combined effect of vibration and distraction, with the conventional method of injection on pain, anxiety, and behavior of pediatric patients aged 6–11 years.MethodsThis randomized, crossover, split-mouth study included 30 children requiring a bilateral inferior alveolar nerve block. The children were equally divided into two groups: group 1, aged 6–8 and group 2, aged 9–11 years. All children were injected with anesthesia using the conventional and device method in two separate sessions. They were assessed for anxiety by measuring the pulse rate before and during the administration of local anesthesia. Behavior was assessed using Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale, and the child's experience while receiving anesthesia was assessed using the Wong Bakers Pain Rating Scale.ResultsResults showed that the children who received local anesthesia using the device method had a lower mean pulse rate, FLACC scores, and pain rating scores than those who received local anesthesia using the conventional method.ConclusionThe device method was more effective than the conventional method in managing pain, anxiety, and behavior of patients aged 6–11 years. The device is a cost effective, simple, and child-friendly product for administrating local anesthesia in pediatric patients.

Fundamentals of Pain Medicine, 1st ed

Pain is a unifying presenting symptom across many medical specialties. Nearly all physicians are routinely asked to provide quality care to patients whose primary request is assistance with pain control. However, most physicians feel ill-equipped to manage pain, especially in the chronic setting, which inevitably leads to increased patient suffering. In many cases, physicians without specialty training in pain are tasked with treating complex pain patients when pain physicians are not readily available. Fundamentals of Pain Medicine aims to level the playing field, so to speak, for physicians across varying fields who aspire to better treat their patients’ pain complaints. This text offers invaluable information regarding diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of both basic and complex pain states. Fundamentals of Pain Medicine is offered as a paperback text, as well as an eBook. The 359 pages of this book are easily viewed via the eBook platform, which also allows for zooming for improved visualization of the numerous figures used throughout to illustrate complex concepts. The 36 chapters are well organized in easy to manage sections that allow for quick reference to pertinent topics. The text covers 9 distinct topics: diagnosis of pain states, management of pain states, acute pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, radicular pain, neuropathic pain, chronic visceral pain, headaches, and painful disease states in special populations (pediatrics, geriatrics, and the critically ill). The book is organized logically and with progressively more detail to allow for further investigation by the reader, as dictated by their interest. The sections can easily be referenced for rapid assistance in patient management, or the whole text can be taken in as a guide in the overarching themes of successful pain medicine. A strength of this text is its structure and ability to break pain states down by etiology, leading to improved clinical utility and more appropriate treatment plans. As is well known by pain physicians, the cause of the pain states often dictates the utility of various modalities and likelihood of success in treatment. In short, not all patients’ pain complaints can be treated using the same pharmacological and interventional techniques, and this text clarifies this concept and appropriate approaches. The chapters are broken down into etiologies of pain and their evidence-based treatment courses, which allows for improved patient response, particularly for physicians who may be less familiar with some of the rarer pain etiologies. For example, chapter 23 describes complex regional pain syndrome pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management. This chapter may prove quite valuable in directing the multimodal treatment of complicated, refractory pain patients seen by physicians who do not routinely treat complex regional pain syndrome patients. The author provides thorough details regarding levels of evidence, as well as a cogent summary of recommendations at the end of each chapter, allowing for improved understanding and more effective delivery of patient care. Fundamentals of Pain Medicine reads easily and functions as an excellent reference for those needing a quick refresher course on the nuts and bolts of pain medicine. In fact, many physicians in various fields could offer significantly improved pain management for their patients, namely those in primary care settings without immediate access to pain physicians, simply by consulting relevant chapters. This book may be especially useful for primary care physicians tasked with providing long-term care for patients with complicated, chronic pain conditions. For the trained pain physician, Fundamentals of Pain Medicine offers a concise, well-written summary and reference in a pinch but may fall short when it comes to in-depth analysis of physiological mechanisms of pain and more innovative, up-and-coming interventions. However, following the summary of each chapter, a comprehensive list of suggested readings offers an opportunity for a more detailed perusal into various topics as may pertain more so to specific patient populations, allowing for a more thorough understanding. For physicians of specialties outside the realm of pain management looking to improve efficacy of pain interventions in their patient populations, Fundamentals of Pain Medicine provides a concise overview of the physiological mechanisms, etiologies, and appropriate management of a multitude of pain states that is easy to read and comprehend. The text is extremely practical in its delivery of recommendations, including both pharmacological and more complementary and integrative techniques. This book serves as an excellent initial stepping stone in providing quality pain treatment for patients with common pain states and should be considered a staple desk reference for all physicians interested in improving their patients’ pain control. Caitlin D. Tourje, MDAmanda M. Kleiman, MDDepartment of AnesthesiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesville, Virginia[email protected]

The rise and rise of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to the delivery of effective care and already causes 700000 excess deaths per year worldwide. International consensus on action to combat antimicrobial resistance was reached in 2015. Australia is implementing a national strategy. The clinical consequences of antimicrobial resistance are seen most acutely in multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections, where they cause increased mortality and morbidity and threaten the delivery of once routine medical care. The solution to antimicrobial resistance is complex and multifaceted. Antimicrobial stewardship, that is optimising the use of the antibiotics we currently have, is the most rapidly deployable mitigation. Several novel antibiotics with activity against a range of drug-resistant bacteria are now available clinically, leading to hope that innovative solutions will reduce the impact of resistance. It is critical that these new drugs are protected from inappropriate use.

Neuromonitoring in the ambulatory anesthesia setting: a pro-con discussion.

Various neurologically focused monitoring modalities such as processed electroencephalography (pEEG), tissue/brain oxygenation monitors (SbO2), and even somatosensory evoked responses have been suggested as having the potential to improve the well tolerated and effective delivery of care in the setting of outpatient surgery. The present article will discuss the pros and cons of such monitors in this environment. There is a paucity of evidence from rigorous, well designed clinical trials demonstrating that the routine use of any neuromonitoring technique in an ambulatory surgery setting leads to meaningful cost savings or a reduction in morbidity or mortality. The use of advanced neuromonitoring techniques (primarily pEEG) may be considered reasonable in two instances: for the prevention of intraoperative awareness during the administration of total intravenous anesthesia coupled with the use of a neuromuscular blocking drug, and for the prevention of relative drug overdose (and possibly postoperative delirium) in the elderly.

Interdisciplinary palliative care communication for quality palliative care: Outcomes of a statewide train-the-trainer course.

83 Background: Expert communication skills are essential for the delivery of effective palliative care across the domains of care. However, few healthcare providers receive formal communication training. The purpose of this presentation is to describe a train-the-trainer course for interprofessional hospital-based palliative care teams to prepare them to teach other healthcare professionals palliative care communication skills. Methods: This project was organized by the eight domains of the National Consensus Project (NCP) guidelines for quality palliative care and provided communication skills training for California-based teams. Funded by the Archstone Foundation, this 2-day train-the-trainer course included skill-building exercises and interactive discussions to assist participants in integrating communication skills-building into their clinical settings. Using a goal-directed method of teaching, the faculty assisted teams in developing three institutional goals for providing palliative care communication training to other healthcare professionals. Evaluation of the course included immediate post-course evaluation and follow-up evaluation at 6 and 9 months. Results: The first statewide interprofessional communication training took place in January 2018 with 26 palliative care teams consisting of primarily nurses, followed by social workers, chaplains and physicians. The 46 course participants’ post-course evaluations demonstrated high satisfaction with the course. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = lowest), the course met participants’ expectations and objectives (4.8). The teams’ pre-course goals focused on: 1) staff education, training and mentorship, and 2) institution-wide system changes involving communication with palliative care. Conclusions: A 6 and 9 month follow-up will evaluate team progress on institutional goals (e.g. status and implementation) and provide an update on the additional healthcare professionals trained by course participants and changes implemented within their health system.

The nursing shortage: A status report

Background and objective: A shortage of nearly half a million registered nurses threatened to disrupt health care services by the year 2020 as approximately one million registered nurses, born during the baby boom generation, were projected to retire. This predicted shortage would greatly affect the quality of patient care delivery. The predicted crisis drew the attention of stakeholders across the nation.Methods: This article summarizes strategies implemented to meet the growing demand for registered nurses by various agencies and stakeholders, the result of those efforts, and future challenges currently facing the profession.Results: Interventions resulted in a renewed interest in the profession of nursing. The total number of graduates from ADN and BSN programs more than doubled from 2002 to 2012. The number of master’s and doctoral program graduates more than tripled. Full time employment of registered nurses increased from 2.1 million in 2001 to 3.2 million in 2015.Future challenges and implications: Limited employment opportunities for new graduate nurses as hiring has slowed, concern over the quality of nursing education across all program types, and the need for ongoing assessment and implementation of guidelines permitting nurses to practice to the full scope of their educational preparation and capabilities during an era of continued health care reform, are among the challenges faced by the profession. In addition, delivery of safe and effective care to meet the needs of an aging population will present many challenges in the future.

Toss the Floss? Evidence-Based Oral Hygiene Recommendations for the Periodontal Patient in the Age of "Flossgate".

What are the key considerations for effective delivery of oral hygiene home care to best manage or prevent periodontal diseases? Plaque control is critical for the management of periodontal diseases, but not all patients demonstrate the same risk for disease progression and challenges differ based upon clinical findings. This report seeks to present evidence-based oral hygiene recommendations for a variety of common periodontal diseases. Accurate diagnosis, risk assessment, and individualized delivery of oral hygiene instruction is necessary to ensure that patients can provide adequate home care to promote health and maintain the benefits of periodontal therapy. Oral hygiene techniques and recommendations should vary based upon patients' clinical presentation and risk assessment. Utilization of evidence-based strategies to deliver personalized care will allow for optimal wellness for patients.

Can interventions aimed at delivery of efficient and effective care and support of self-management improve hearing aid use?

Can interventions aimed at delivery of efficient and effective care and support of self-management improve hearing aid use?

Assessment of usability and viability in clinical practice of the Nabelia mHealthCare Platform to support integrated care management of patients with pulmonary hypertension

Introduction : Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare, life-threating disease that requires complex long term management, often involving coordination of actions across different agencies and jurisdictions. This is a challenging scenario to the effective delivery of care. Adoption of an integrated care (IC) approach with a sensible use of enabling technology can be a way of successfully dealing with this complexity. Aims : a) To assess the usability and potential feasibility in clinical practice of the Nabelia mHealthCare Platform, in the IC management of patients with Pulmonary Hypertension and; b) to identify areas in need of improvement in collaboration with patients and professionals Material and method : This qualitative research study involved two distinct groups chosen for convenience: 1) Patients’ group, patients with a pulmonary arterial hypertension (HAP) diagnose and/or chronic thromboembolic hypertension (HPTEC); and, 2) Health professionals’ group. In both groups, we carried out : 1) user tests followed by administration of a questionnaire (adaptation of the SUMI questionnaire items); 2) Focus groups sessions (1 patients, 1 professionals). A total of 23 people participated in this study (12 patients, 7 practitioners and 4 nurses). Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The study was completed by a heuristic assessment of the platform that was undertaken by a specially trained researcher. Results : Professionals highlighted that the Platform facilitated: 1) the sharing of information (notably in the case of treatment prescribed), 2) coordination of actions (remote monitoring data) and 3) communication with patients. Patients’ appraisals of the platform differed. Globally, it was viewed as an interesting tool and patients especially valued the accessibility to the information about their condition and the easiness to share this information with the different health professionals. Perceptions on the benefits of using the mobile application to manage everyday life depended on patients’ age and treatments’ complexity. Thus, younger patients were more favorable towards its use while elders were more reluctant. Heuristic evaluation. The aspects that were best ranked where those related with the clarity of the interface (adequate management of spaces and text, visual structure of the information, easily recognizable links), consistency in its design (elements, actions, language, navigation), and architecture (organizational system, elements and terms used in the navigation menu). Usability elements in need of attention were those related with system status, information flow, aid in its actions, clarity of information, control by user, readability and configuration. The application is easy to learn and uses standard tags and a language close to professionals with helpful graphics though in some parts readability could be improved. Control of the application by the user was acceptable at the current status of development. Conclusions : At its current stage of development the Nabelia mHealthCare Platform has a good usability and can be potentially applied in the management of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Professionals and patients think that the application facilitates the management of the disease, allows closer follow-up and monitoring and improves coordination across levels of health care. Attention to acceptance and usability issues in the group of older patients is, however, required.

'The rollercoaster of follow-up care' after bariatric surgery: a rapid review and qualitative synthesis.

Benefits of bariatric surgery for obesity related comorbidities are well established. However, in the longer term, patients can become vulnerable to procedure specific problems, experience weight regain and continue to need monitoring and management of comorbidities. Effective longer term follow-up is vital due to these complex needs post-surgery. Current guidance recommends annual long-term follow-up after bariatric surgery. However, attendance can be low, and failure to attend is associated with poorer outcomes. Understanding patients' experiences and needs is central to the delivery of effective care. This rapid review has synthesized the current qualitative literature on patient experiences of healthcare professional (HCP) led follow-up from 12months after bariatric surgery. A recurring theme was the need for more and extended follow-up care, particularly psychological support. Enablers to attending follow-up care were patient self-efficacy as well as HCP factors such as a non-judgemental attitude, knowledge and continuity of care. Barriers included unrealistic patient expectations and perceived lack of HCP expertise. Some preferences were expressed including patient initiated access to HCPs and more information preoperatively to prepare for potential post-surgery issues. Insights gained from this work will help identify areas for improvement to care in order to optimize longer term outcomes.

Global paediatric surgery: meeting an unmet need\u2014the response of the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons

AimOutline the response from an organisation regarding the unmet needs in global children’s surgeryMethodThe burden of global surgical disease, whilst daunting, is becoming increasingly better defined as agencies, surgical colleges and professional specialty associations all attempt to increase capacity in terms of manpower, support education and find sustainable solutions to the deficit of health in treating women and children. However, definition of the problem does not in itself create change and similarly, humanitarian activities including volunteering by established surgical practitioners and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) make only marginal improvement in the standards of care on offer at a global level.ResultsThe International Affairs Committee, British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS) has had its target firmly set on investing in potential leaders within paediatric surgery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and sharing elements of the educational programme made available for training within the UK and Ireland with the aim of contributing to the solutions of inequity in the surgical standards available to the world’s children.ConclusionThis article outlines some of the practical steps that have been deployed by BAPS by way of sharing the responsibility for problem-solving at a global level. It also highlights the need for clarity in advocacy and the route through which effective communication can translate into wider and more effective delivery of surgical care for children.

The Impact of Personal and Professional Loss on Advance Care Planning and Effective Care Delivery for Healthcare Social Workers

Personal experiences can influence the practice of social work. However, the connection between past experiences with death and social workers’ practice has been underexplored. As such, this study surveyed social workers ( N = 74) about their personal and professional experiences of loss, personal advance care planning, and professional practices. Results demonstrated that social workers that experienced prior loss were more likely to complete an advance directive and communicate their end-of-life wishes. Additionally, those who had experienced personal and professional loss showed greater effectiveness on measures of patient- and family-centered communication and care delivery. Findings suggest positive outcomes for encouraging social workers to connect their personal and professional experiences surrounding death and dying to effectively serve in their professional capacity.

Implementation and Dissemination of a Department of Veterans Affairs Oral Care Initiative to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Among Nonventilated Patients.

Implementation and dissemination of an oral care initiative enhanced the safety and well-being of Veterans at the Salem VA Medical Center by reducing the risk of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP). The incidence rate of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia decreased from 105 cases to 8.3 cases per 1000 patient-days (by 92%) in the initial VA pilot, yielding an estimated cost avoidance of $2.84 million and 13 lives saved in 19 months postimplementation. The team was successful in translating this research into a meaningful quality improvement intervention in 8 VA hospitals (in North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia) that has promoted effective and consistent delivery of oral care across hospital service lines and systems, improved the health of Veterans, and driven down health care costs associated with this largely preventable illness. The steps needed for successful replication and dissemination of this nurse-led, evidence-based practice are summarized in this article.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Saudi Emergency Physicians toward t-PA Use in Stroke.

Background and Objectives Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) within 4.5 hours from onset improves outcome in patients with ischemic stroke and has been recommended by several international guidelines. Since its approval in 1996, the debate among emergency physicians continues particularly around the result interpretation of the first positive randomized controlled trial, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) clinical trial. This lack of consensus might negatively affect the delivery of effective stroke care. Here we aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of Saudi emergency physicians toward t-PA use within 4.5 hours of onset in acute ischemic stroke. Methods A web-based, self-administered, locally designed questionnaire was sent to all emergency physicians practicing in the city of Riyadh from January to September 2017. Results Out of 450 emergency physicians, 122 from ten hospitals in Riyadh participated in the survey, with a 27% response rate. The majority of participants were men (78%), and their mean age was 40 ± 8 years. Half of the participants were board certified, and 36% were consultants. Half of the participants consider the evidence for t-PA use in stroke within 4.5 hours of stroke onset to be controversial, and 41% recommend against its use due to lack of proven efficacy (37%), the risk of hemorrhagic complications (35%), lack of stroke expertise (21%), and medicolegal liability (9%). Nearly half were willing to administer IV t-PA for ischemic stroke in collaboration with remote stroke neurology consultation if telestroke is implemented. Conclusion Our study detected inadequate knowledge and a negative attitude among Saudi emergency physicians toward t-PA use in acute stroke. This might negatively impact patient outcome. Therefore, we recommend developing urgent strategies to improve emergency physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in the management of acute stroke.

Organ donation: reducing the risk of health care‐associated infection

Health care-associated infection is a real and relative risk within the realm of organ donation. Despite detailed guidance from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs on the microbiological safety of human organs, tissues and cells used in transplantation, the topic has received limited exposure in the literature. This paper will give a context to the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs guidance, outline the key recommendations for mandatory/recommended screening and provide a summary of infections that may be present at the time of donation that require careful risk assessment. This does not detract from national guidelines and cannot replace expert advice but will raise awareness and complement safe and effective care delivery.

Attitudes of doctors and nurses toward patient safety within emergency departments of two Saudi Arabian hospitals

BackgroundA hospital culture that promotes and insures patient safety is a critical aspect for the effective delivery of hospital services and patient care. Yet there are significant patient health and safety issues in hospitals worldwide. This study aims to investigate doctors’ and nurses’ attitudes toward patient safety in the emergency departments (ED) of two Saudi hospitals.MethodA cross-sectional survey using a validated Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) was used. Total of 503 ED doctors and nurses completed SAQ. Correlation analysis, using Spearman’s Rho, was performed between the number of incidents reported and each dimension of the SAQ.ResultsThe mean score of each SAQ dimension was < 75%, indicating that nurses and doctors generally had less than a positive safety attitudes. This was especially prominent with dimensions of stress recognition (58.1%) and perceptions of hospital management (56.9%). Furthermore, nurses reported significantly lower on the teamwork climate dimension than doctors (p < .01), whereas doctors reported significantly lower on the hospital work conditions dimension than nurses (p < .01). There was a significant negative correlation between the number of errors reported and teamwork climate, job satisfaction, and work conditions.ConclusionSafety attitudes of doctors and nurses employed in EDs of Saudi hospitals are less than positive and correlate with the number of reported errors. Safety training interventions and management support would appear to be the most likely avenues to improve the safety attitudes and performance within Saudi ED’s.

Reducing missed oral care opportunities to prevent non-ventilator associated hospital acquired pneumonia at the Department of Veterans Affairs

Consistently delivered, effective oral care targets bacterial multiplication reducing the risk of non-ventilator associated hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP).Aim: Determine the effect of a twice daily oral care initiative on the incidence and cost of NV-HAP.Methods: This single arm intervention study used pre/post population data to determine the effectiveness of a universal, standardized oral care protocol vs. usual care in preventing NV-HAP. This phase followed a retrospective study of 14,396 patient days (2002-2012) that determined the pre-intervention levels of nursing care provided, and the overall disease prevalence.Results: The pilot incidence rate on the geriatric units decreased from 105 to 8.3 cases per 1,000 patient days (by 92%) in the first year. The intervention yielded an estimated cost avoidance of $2.84 million and 13 lives saved in 19 months post-implementation. Expansion of this study as quality improvement is in progress at 8 VA hospitals with plans for national VA deployment.Conclusions: While oral care may seem deceptively simple in terms of base care provision, hospital and nursing services struggle to provide effective oral care delivery with high-reliability. Barriers to oral care include: (1) the perception that oral care is an optional daily care activity for patient's comfort, (2) hospitals supply inadequate, poorly designed oral care materials, and (3) hospitals are not required to monitor the incidence of NV-HAP. The impact of consistently delivered oral care is substantial in terms of Veteran health, quality of life, and well-being in addition to considerable cost avoidance.

Hurricane Irma Impact on the Inpatient Population at a Tertiary Children's Hospital in Florida

Hurricane Irma resulted in the evacuation of 6.3 million people in Florida in September, 2017. Our tertiary Children's Hospital activated our incident command center (ICC) 24 hours before storm landfall, and preparations were made to accommodate vulnerable pediatric patients (VPP) or children with medical complexity. Our ICC was active for 92 hours and the hospital was staffed with 467 associates and 40 physicians. Urgent operative and interventional radiology procedures were performed during the storm. Thirteen patients were transferred to our facility and 13 VPP were sheltered. During the lockdown period, our facility operated at 90 per cent capacity inclusive of VPP. Personnel were used in critical areas in the hospital, independent of their base units. There were no adverse outcomes or complications. Timely activation of ICC and deployment of Team A 24 hours before storm hit allowed for safe hospital operations. Planning for the inflow of patients is imperative to allow for preemptive deployment of staff and resources for inpatients, transfers, emergency room admissions, and VPP. VPP should be monitored regionally as they will consume hospital resources during natural disasters and must be accounted for to allow for safe and effective care delivery for all patients.