SHEA ORTP Toolkits

10 Section Subsection Recommendations A. Incident Management A.1. Incident Management Organizational Structures 1. A facility should use an Emergency Management Program (EMP) to identify its goals and vision related to emergency management and to guide it through the incident management phases of preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery from a crisis. 2. e facility should use an all-hazards self-assessment to inform the EMP and determine how it can fulfill its core mission of patient care during incidents, including infectious diseases outbreaks. 3. Within the EMP, the facility should create an emergency operations plan (EOP) that includes 6 critical components, as required by e Joint Commission's Emergency Management Standards: a. Communications b. Resources and assets c. Safety and security d. Staff responsibilities e. Utilities f. Clinical support activities 4. e facility should assess the adequacy of the EOP by conducting drills, competency assessments, and simulation exercises. 5. e facility should coordinate and communicate outbreak response through the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS). A.2. Stakeholders in Preparedness and Response 1. e healthcare epidemiologist (HE) should create, maintain, and/or have access to a list with contact information for individuals and groups/organizations relevant to his/her role in outbreak response, and establish lines of communication with these stakeholders. 2. e HE should be familiar with facility, local, and state practices and protocols for interaction with stakeholders, which may vary depending on location. A.3. Communication Strategies 1. Facilities should employ communication standards described in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which recommends common or plain language used across systems (emergency management, law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire department, and public health agencies). 2. Facilities should adhere to the six principles of CDC's Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC): be first, be right, be credible, express empathy, promote action, show respect. 3. e HE should be trained in CERC, which can be accomplished through in-person and online training. SHEA Guidance and Resources in Outbreak Response: Executive Summary

• Cover
• Overview of Incident Management
• Introduction to Incident Management and the Role of the Healthcare Epidemiologist
• Incident Management Terminology
• Diagram of Incident Management Preparedness Structures
• Hospital Incident Management Team (HIMT) for the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS)
• SHEA Guidance and Resources in Outbreak Response: Executive Summary