CHAPTER 25

INFORMATICS
SOLUTIONS FOR
EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS &
RESPONSE
Reported by Monica Soriano
BSN 2-3
INTRODUCTION

 September 11,2001 & the Anthrax Outbreaks

are the two events, the government of the
US responded at an unprecedented pace to
better prepare and manage terrorist events.
CHANGES AFFECTING EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE
 Federal funds were channeled thru the CDC to
the states & in the hospitals
 Local agencies also began to work together
> systems only w/in a hospital began to be
used in several hospital w/in a local religion
> developed a barcode system to log & track
their victims
> telehealth technologies for terrorism
response
NEW VISIBILITY OF CDC
 CDC – recognize as lead agency for protecting
the health & safety of people.
- serves the national focus for
developing & applying disease prevention
control, environmental health, and health
promotion, education activities designed to
improved the health of the people.
- compiles statistical information to
guide actions & policies to improving the
health of the nation.
NATIONAL ELECTRONIC DISEASE
SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (NEDSS)
 Surveillance Systems like NEDSS, collect and monitor data
for disease trends and/or outbreaks so that public health
personnel can protect the nation's health.

 This broad initiative is designed to:

1. To detect outbreaks rapidly and to monitor the
health of the nation
2. Facilitate the electronic transfer of appropriate
information from clinical information systems in the health
care system to public health departments
3. Reduce provider burden in the provision of
information
4. Enhance both the timeliness and quality of
information provided
HEALTH ALERT
NETWORK (HAN)
 Develop capacity at the state & local levels
for continuous, high speed access to public
health information & to broadcast
information in support of emergency
communication.
 is a nationwide program to establish the
communications, information, distance-
learning, and organizational infrastructure
for a new level of defense against health
threats, including the possibility of
bioterrorism.
LABORATORY & RESPONSE NETWORK
 Outlined national anti-terrorist policies & assigned specific
missions to federal department & agencies.
 LRN’s purpose is to run a network of labs that can respond to
biological and chemical terrorism, and other public health
emergencies.
 The LRN has been put to the test on several occasions. In 2001, a
Florida LRN reference laboratory discovered the presence of
Bacillus Anthracis in a clinical specimen. B. Anthracis causes
anthrax. LRN labs tested 125,000 samples by the time the
investigation was completed. This amounted to more than 1
million separate tests.
ROLE OF AHRQ
 Decision Support System:
 Develop a computer simulation model for
citywide response planning for mass
prophylaxis & vaccination during bioterrorist
attacks & other public health emergencies.
 Assist in rapid diagnosis & management of
disease resulting from an increase caseload
 Develop a prototype data base & website to
facilitate clinician reporting of trends that
will be used to diagnose possible bioterrorist
attacks.
ROLE OF AHRQ
 Syndroimic Surveillance
>detection of disease outbreak before the
actual disease or mechanism of transmission

RODS – provides early warning of possible

infectious disease outbreak caused by
bioterrorism
CONT…
 Helping Clinicians Respond
>Medical Education Training Modules – to teach
healthcare professionals to identify various biologic
agents which limmits clinicians from being familiar
with it.
 6 biologic agents (BSL-4) : anthrax, smallpox,
botulinum toxin,tularemia, viral hemorrhagic fever
& plague.
 PRBN developed a system that allows for electronic
solicitation of data using handheld & wireless
devices w/c has pediatric focus & allows real-time
transmission of clinical impression & symptoms.
ROLE OF HRSA
 National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness
Program – aids in state, territory & selected
entities in improving the capacity of the
healthcare system to respond to incidents
requiring public health emergencies
 Bioterrorism Training & Curriculum
Development Program – provides continuing
education & curriculum enhancement for
practicing healthcare providers & students.
OTHER CHANGES
 Competency Based Learning & informatics
needs
 INCME is an international coalition consisting
organizational representatives of schools of
nursing, nursing specialty organization &
government agencies interested in promoting
casualty education for nurses
- Assures competent nurse work force &
respond to MCI is their mission
INFORMATICS & THE
EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER
 HEICS – incident management system that
has been adapted by the hospital use
Initiations of it:
 IT LEADER WAS SO LOW IN CHAIN OF
COMMAND
 Missing patient
 Onslaught of SQL slammer worm that packet
flood the hospital network in a denial of
server attack
INFORMATICS & VOLUNTEERISM

 DMATS – system for organizing teams that are

willing to travel to other regions of country
in the event of emergency
 Medical Reserve Corps – initiative designed to
assemble healthcare volunteers who are
willing to respond to their local level
 NNRT – comprise 10 region based teams of
200 RN who could be called to assist in
chemoprophylaxis or vaccination
THANKS FOR LISTENING (: