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Regional disaster planning for neonatology

Journal of Perinatology volume 30, pages 709–711 (2010)Cite this article

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A recent article in the journal1 pointed out a significant problem for neonatology: when patients of different ages, but similar prognoses, were triaged, neonates fared significantly worse than older children and adults. The neonatal patients fared less well than all age groups except 80-year-old patients. Existing neonatal scoring systems designed for research or outcomes prediction do not work well when applied after the first hours of life.2, 3 This does not bode well for our patients if Hospital Incident Command Systems are left to triage their care.

The Joint Commission4 defines a disaster as ‘…a type of emergency that, due to its complexity, scope, or duration, threatens the organization's capabilities and requires outside assistance (emphasis added) to sustain [patient] care, safety, or security functions.’ This definition of disaster implies the need for regional cooperation and assistance. In the aftermath of recent disasters (for example 11 September 2001; Hurricanes Katrina/Rita 2005; Texas floods 2007; Earthquakes in Szechuan 2008, Haiti and Chile 2010) and near disasters (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2003; H1N1 2009), it should be clear that there are opportunities for significant improvement in our capabilities to respond as a region to a disaster. Though hospitals and Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICU) may have developed specific protocols for responding to an internal emergency, few, if any, hospitals or NICUs have plans to respond collaboratively as a region to a widespread disaster affecting multiple healthcare facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    R Cohen, B Murphy, T Ahern & A Hackel

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  1. R Cohen
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  2. B Murphy
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  3. T Ahern
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  4. A Hackel
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Correspondence to R Cohen.

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Cohen, R., Murphy, B., Ahern, T. et al. Regional disaster planning for neonatology. J Perinatol 30, 709–711 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2010.76

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