Throw Out the Old Disaster Plans
Disaster plans are designed to continue operations during times of major emergencies and/or disasters. But do they work?
We have repeatedly seen that during health care crisis situations, disaster plans can provide an outline of direction to participants in the response teams. However, enough autonomy is not given to those on the front lines. As we have seen during the CCOVID pandemic and other natural disasters, these individuals see what is happening and begin to innovate. In other words, they recognize when the disaster plan is no longer relevant.
As creators of disaster plans, we need to make sure that rules don’t stand in the way of common sense and clinical judgement.
Disaster plans lay out the foundation of what is needed to address a crisis. Negotiations between departments and services have already occurred to unify and create a coordinated response. But once all that is lined up, how do we delegate to those on the front lines to think and problem solve as only they can? Clinicians and first responders can see what needs to be done. They need the authority and autonomy to maneuver around rules and regulations to create solutions. The real trick to crafting a strong disaster plan is to enable optimal solutions by empowering those at the frontlines to apply their expert assessment of the conditions with their innovative and practical solutions. Sometimes, the best disaster planning is to teach others how to get out of the way.
Bottom line, can we re-engineer disaster plans to be flexible and accommodating to all the innovation and creativity we need to enable lifesaving interventions and inventions? Are we teaching our front-line clinicians what they will need to know to be competent during these situations.
“He who is best prepared can best serve in his moment of inspiration” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge
About the Authors
Pam Thompson MS, RN, FAAN is the CEO Emeritus of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, formerly AONE. During the same time, 2000–2016, she was the Senior VP of Nursing for the American Hospital Association. After retiring in 2017, she now serves as a healthcare consultant and volunteer board member and trustee for several healthcare entities.
Marla Weston PhD, RN, FAAN is the past CEO of the American Nurses Association Enterprise which included the American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center and American Nurses Foundation, serving from 2009 to 2018. She now is a consultant and facilitator in leadership development, organizational strategy and growth, and future trends.
