A local hospital has coordinated with the county emergency management team to plan and conduct ...

The answer to question 1

Correct Answer: 1

Preparedness refers to proactive planning and preparation while the threat of a disaster is still in the future. Efforts are aimed at developing a disaster response prior to occurrence. The mitigation phase occurs when there is knowledge about an impending disaster that has not yet occurred and includes measures to reduce the harmful effects. Activities during this stage include warning, pre-impact mobilization, and evacuation if appropriate. The response phase involves the immediate response to the effects of the disaster. The final stage of recovery is the evaluation phase, which involves determining what worked and what did not work, and what anticipated and unanticipated issues and challenges emerged.

The answer to question 2

Patients who are critically injured and require immediate intervention should be tagged red (immediate threat to life). These patients need the most support and emergency care. This would include patients with a respiratory rate above 30.

The answer to question 3

Correct Answer: 1,2,4

Healthcare providers should be alert to illness patterns that could indicate an unusual infectious disease outbreak. Indicators of a biological agent release include increased disease incidence among people in the same geographical area (e.g., people who attended the same event); a disease pattern inconsistent with patients' age, such as chickenpox among adults; and patient presenting with symptoms of a rare disease. In these cases, the nurse should notify the chain of command including the infectious disease nurse. Multiple people presenting with viral-like symptoms may merely be associated with normal exposure to a highly contagious virus. If all the patients are over 39 years old, this does not necessarily indicate exposure to smallpox. The patients should be assessed for the clinical manifestations associated with smallpox. Children and young adults are equally susceptible to smallpox.

The answer to question 4

Correct Answer: 1, 2, 3, 4

Emergency medical systems (EMS) use a common triage tag state- or region-wide. The triage tag includes a sequential number and barcoded stickers for assigned categories. The triage personnel should include whatever information is available, such as the patient's name, presenting injury or complaint, any interventions performed in the field, and allergy and medication history if possible. The next of kin is not identified or documented for each victim of a mass casualty incident.