OMMC Department of Surgery’s Emergency and Disaster Alert Code Activation Drill and Actual Activation – March 31, 2012
OMMC Department of Surgery’s Emergency and Disaster Alert Code Activation Drill and Actual Activation – March 31, 2012
Last March 31, 2012, the Department of Surgery of Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC) conducted an exercise (drill) on its alert code system from 12 noon to 5 pm. This was in line with the March Fire Prevention Month. The drill was followed by an actual activation of Code White Alert because of the Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Coronation Night in Quirino Grandstand at 9:30 pm. The actual Code White Alert was activated at 7 pm and deactivated at 12:00 midnight.
Thus, on that day, the staff of OMMC Department of Surgery, consisting of consultants, residents, and rotating interns, experienced two Code White Alert activations, one simulated and one actual.
The formulated objectives of the drill were the following:
- To continually raise the level of awareness and competency of all staff (consultants, residents, and rotating interns) of the Department of Surgery of Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center on its emergency and disaster alert code system.
- To continually practice, test and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the formulated procedures of the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center Department of Surgery’s emergency and disaster alert code system.
The drill was announced to the whole OMMC Surgery 4 to 5 days prior, followed by online orientation and testing of SMS communication. The exact date and duration of the drill, however, were not announced. Originally, only a drill was planned. However, when the Alert Code System Planning Committee learned on March 30, 2012, that there would be a mammoth gathering of people for the PBB in the Quirino Grandstand on the same day of the planned drill, the Committee decided to go for two activations, one simulated and one actual.
March 31, 2012 was a milestone for OMMC Surgery in its Alert Code System project. For the first time, the whole staff experienced two activations of Code White Alert. For the first time, more than 90% of the staff, inclusive of consultants, residents and interns, cooperated and collaborated. (Formal evaluation will be done in 72 hours.)
No doubt, with the March 31, 2012 experience, the competency, not just level of awareness, of the staff on the OMMC Surgery emergency and disaster alert code system was raised. The formulated procedures were practiced, tested, and improved.
Notable achievements and improvements in March 31, 2012, were the development of an incident command system, the testing of the Alert Code SMS communication system, and the tasks and staff monitoring checklist.
For details on the Alert Code SMS communication system, see https://hospitalsafetypromotionanddisasterpreparedness.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/ommc-surgery-emergency-and-disaster-alert-code-system-communication-system
For details on the tasks and staff monitoring checklist, see https://hospitalsafetypromotionanddisasterpreparedness.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/ommc-surgery-alert-code-activation-tasks-and-staff-monitoring-list/
[Note: evaluation report to follow.]
Hospital Safety Promotion & Disaster Preparedness 