Abstract
Hospitals have frequently been evacuated because of natural or man-made disasters. In this article, we identify elements to be considered when confronted with the possibility of hospital evacuation. Hospital evacuation may have a significant impact on the surrounding community and the overall population. When the patients in a hospital are placed at risk, hospital leadership often decides to evacuate the facility to safeguard the well-being of both patients and staff. Such a decision is not likely to be criticized. We present various considerations. The effect of evacuation on patients, hospital staff, family members, the community, and even the nation as a whole, as well as repercussions affecting potential patients should be integral to the decision-making process and parallel to the risk assessment.
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Hospital evacuation affects patients, hospital staff, family members, the community, and even the nation; thus consideration of these effects should be integral to risk-assessments and decision-making processes.
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Adini, B., Laor, D., Cohen, R. et al. Decision to evacuate a hospital during an emergency: The safe way or the leader's way?. J Public Health Pol 33, 257–268 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2012.2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2012.2