Concepts of Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

A family in the emergency department is overwhelmed at the loss of several family members due to a shooting incident in the community. Which intervention should the nurse complete first? a. Provide a calm location for the family to cope and discuss needs. b. Call the hospital chaplain to stay with the family and pray for the deceased. c. Do not allow visiting of the victims until the bodies are prepared. d. Provide privacy for law enforcement to interview the family.

A

A hospital responds to a local mass casualty event. Which action should the nurse supervisor take to prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty event? a. Provide water and healthy snacks for energy throughout the event. b. Schedule 16-hour shifts to allow for greater rest between shifts. c. Encourage counseling upon deactivation of the emergency response plan. d. Assign staff to different roles and units within the medical facility.

A

A nurse wants to become involved in community disaster preparedness and is interested in helping set up and staff first aid stations or community acute care centers in the event of a disaster. Which organization is the best fit for this nurse's interests? a. The Medical Reserve Corps b. The National Guard c. The health department d. A Disaster Medical Assistance Team

A

A nurse wants to become part of a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) but is concerned about maintaining licensure in several different states. Which statement best addresses these concerns? a. "Deployed DMAT providers are federal employees, so their licenses are good in all 50 states." b. "The government has a program for quick licensure activation wherever you are deployed." c. "During a time of crisis, licensure issues would not be the government's priority concern." d. "If you are deployed, you will be issued a temporary license in the state in which you are working."

A

The hospital administration arranges for critical incident stress debriefing for the staff after a mass casualty incident. Which statement by the debriefing team leader is most appropriate for this situation? a. "You are free to express your feelings; whatever is said here stays here." b. "Let's evaluate what went wrong and develop policies for future incidents." c. "This session is only for nursing and medical staff, not for ancillary personnel." d. "Let's pass around the written policy compliance form for everyone."

A

Emergency medical services (EMS) brings a large number of clients to the emergency department following a mass casualty incident. The nurse identifies the clients with which injuries with yellow tags? (Select all that apply.) a. Partial-thickness burns covering both legs b. Open fractures of both legs with absent pedal pulses c. Neck injury and numbness of both legs d. Small pieces of shrapnel embedded in both eyes e. Head injury and difficult to arouse f. Bruising and pain in the right lower abdomen

A,C,D,F

A nurse triages clients arriving at the hospital after a mass casualty. Which clients are correctly classified? (Select all that apply.) a. A 35-year-old female with severe chest pain: red tag b. A 42-year-old male with full-thickness body burns: green tag c. A 55-year-old female with a scalp laceration: black tag d. A 60-year-old male with an open fracture with distal pulses: yellow tag e. An 88-year-old male with shortness of breath and chest bruises: green tag

A,D

After a hospital's emergency department (ED) has efficiently triaged, treated, and transferred clients from a community disaster to appropriate units, the hospital incident command officer wants to "stand down" from the emergency plan. Which question should the nursing supervisor ask at this time? a. "Are you sure no more victims are coming into the ED?" b. "Do all areas of the hospital have the supplies and personnel they need?" c. "Have all ED staff had the chance to eat and rest recently?" d. "Does the Chief Medical Officer agree this disaster is under control?"

B

A hospital prepares for a mass casualty event. Which functions are correctly paired with the personnel role? (Select all that apply.) a. Paramedic - Decides the number, acuity, and resource needs of clients b. Hospital incident commander - Assumes overall leadership for implementing the emergency plan c. Public information officer - Provides advanced life support during transportation to the hospital d. Triage officer - Rapidly evaluates each client to determine priorities for treatment e. Medical command physician - Serves as a liaison between the health care facility and the media

B,D

A hospital prepares to receive large numbers of casualties from a community disaster. Which clients should the nurse identify as appropriate for discharge or transfer to another facility? (Select all that apply.) a. Older adult in the medical decision unit for evaluation of chest pain b. Client who had open reduction and internal fixation of a femur fracture 3 days ago c. Client admitted last night with community-acquired pneumonia d. Infant who has a fever of unknown origin e. Client on the medical unit for wound care

B,E

A nurse cares for clients during a community-wide disaster drill. Once of the clients asks, "Why are the individuals with black tags not receiving any care?" How should the nurse respond? a. "To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, it is necessary to sacrifice some." b. "Not everyone will survive a disaster, so it is best to identify those people early and move on." c. "In a disaster, extensive resources are not used for one person at the expense of many others." d. "With black tags, volunteers can identify those who are dying and can give them comfort care."

C

A nurse is caring for a client whose wife died in a recent mass casualty accident. The client says, "I can't believe that my wife is gone and I am left to raise my children all by myself." How should the nurse respond? a. "Please accept my sympathies for your loss." b. "I can call the hospital chaplain if you wish." c. "You sound anxious about being a single parent." d. "At least your children still have you in their lives."

C

An emergency department charge nurse notes an increase in sick calls and bickering among the staff after a week with multiple trauma incidents. Which action should the nurse take? a. Organize a pizza party for each shift. b. Remind the staff of the facility's sick-leave policy. c. Arrange for critical incident stress debriefing. d. Talk individually with staff members.

C

A client who is hospitalized with burns after losing the family home in a fire becomes angry and screams at a nurse when dinner is served late. How should the nurse respond? a. "Do you need something for pain right now?" b. "Please stop yelling. I brought dinner as soon as I could." c. "I suggest that you get control of yourself." d. "You seem upset. I have time to talk if you'd like."

D

A nurse is field-triaging clients after an industrial accident. Which client condition should the nurse triage with a red tag? a. Dislocated right hip and an open fracture of the right lower leg b. Large contusion to the forehead and a bloody nose c. Closed fracture of the right clavicle and arm numbness d. Multiple fractured ribs and shortness of breath

D

An emergency department (ED) charge nurse prepares to receive clients from a mass casualty within the community. What is the role of this nurse during the event? a. Ask ED staff to discharge clients from the medical-surgical units in order to make room for critically injured victims. b. Call additional medical-surgical and critical care nursing staff to come to the hospital to assist when victims are brought in. c. Inform the incident commander at the mass casualty scene about how many victims may be handled by the ED. d. Direct medical-surgical and critical care nurses to assist with clients currently in the ED while emergency staff prepare to receive the mass casualty victims.

D