Preparedness training lacks clear goals
All workers need some level of training
In late May, officials still were reviewing TOPOFF3 for lessons learned. But here’s an obvious one: Adequate training of health care workers is critical.
A subcommittee of the National Response Team is considering the barriers to training and how to address them. The group is trying to develop clear competencies, as well as incentives for employees to attend training.
“There’s no understanding or clarity about what training requirements [are available] for people in the health care industry,” says Joseph T. Hughes Jr., director of the National Institute for Environmental Health and Safety Worker Education & Training Program in Research Triangle Park, NC. Often health care workers have difficulty finding time to attend training, whether it’s outside of work or during a shift, he says. Training needs to be tailored to the risk and vulnerability of the workers, Hughes adds.
Hospitals often provide only the minimum training required by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, says Paul Penn, MS, CHEM, CHSP, president of EnMagine, a Diamond Springs, CA-based consulting firm that specializes in planning and training in emergency management for health care. “Some have really stepped up and taken an aggressive posture to protect their employees and their patients, while most likely the majority have serious gaps,” he adds. “Time away from work for training is the greatest challenge and cost that hospitals will encounter.”
Yet hospitals need to train a wide variety of employees — and even volunteers, Penn notes. “We recommend that hospitals take a tiered approach. Everyone in the hospital is required to have hazard communications training.” That includes a brief orientation to Material Safety Data Sheets that could be incorporated into new employee orientation and annual competencies.
“A fairly significant portion of the work force should be trained to the first responder awareness level . . . for people who may encounter a hazardous materials incident,” he says. That could be a hazardous hospital spill encountered by employees in the lab, pharmacy, environmental services, or materials management. Or it could be a contaminated patient who walks into the hospital and encounters the receptionist, lobby volunteer, security guard, or emergency department staff.
“We tell people to look at [this] organization at 2 o’clock in the morning. That’s when things happen, and that’s when your staffing is lowest,” Penn explains.
Training should include information on handling internal spills, he advises.
In New Jersey, the hospital association provides emergency preparedness training. The TOPOFF3 exercise helped focus that message – and the importance of preparedness. “Our real objective was to ensure that the training would benefit them well beyond the exercise,” says Valerie Sellers, MHA, CHE, senior vice president for health planning and research at the New Jersey Hospital Association in Princeton.
In late May, officials still were reviewing TOPOFF3 for lessons learned. But heres an obvious one: Adequate training of health care workers is critical.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content