title: Evacuation of Intensive Care Units During Disaster: Learning From the Hurricane Sandy Experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Data on best practices for evacuating an intensive care unit (ICU) during a disaster are limited. The impact of Hurricane Sandy on New York City area hospitals provided a unique opportunity to learn from the experience of ICU providers about their preparedness, perspective, roles, and activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional survey of nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians who played direct roles during the Hurricane Sandy ICU evacuations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-eight health care professionals from 4 evacuating hospitals completed surveys (35% ICU nurses, 21% respiratory therapists, 25% physicians-in-training, and 13% attending physicians). Only 21% had participated in an ICU evacuation drill in the past 2 years and 28% had prior training or real-life experience. Processes were inconsistent for patient prioritization, tracking, transport medications, and transport care. Respondents identified communication (43%) as the key barrier to effective evacuation. The equipment considered most helpful included flashlights (24%), transport sleds (21%), and oxygen tanks and respiratory therapy supplies (19%). An evacuation wish list included walkie-talkies/phones (26%), lighting/electricity (18%), flashlights (10%), and portable ventilators and suction (16%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ICU providers who evacuated critically ill patients during Hurricane Sandy had little prior knowledge of evacuation processes or vertical evacuation experience. The weakest links in the patient evacuation process were communication and the availability of practical tools. Incorporating ICU providers into hospital evacuation planning and training, developing standard evacuation communication processes and tools, and collecting a uniform dataset among all evacuating hospitals could better inform critical care evacuation in the future.
authors: 1Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children's,Seattle,Washington.
authors: Mary A
authors: MA
authors: King
authors: 2Seattle Children's,Seattle,Washington.
authors: Molly V
authors: MV
authors: Dorfman
authors: 3Shaare Zedek Medical Center,Jerusalem,Israel.
authors: Sharon
authors: S
authors: Einav
authors: 4Madigan Army Medical Center,Tacoma,Washington.
authors: Alex S
authors: AS
authors: Niven
authors: 5British Columbia Children's Hospital,Vancouver,Canada.
authors: Niranjan
authors: N
authors: Kissoon
authors: 6Intermountain Medical Center,Murray,Utah.
authors: Colin K
authors: CK
authors: Grissom
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000379:methods*; D060447:Emergency Shelter / Q000458:organization & administration; D006752:Hospital Planning / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007857:Leadership; D007858:Learning; D009519:New York City; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: critical care; disaster; emergency preparedness; evacuation; hurricanes; transportation of patients