Premium
Shelter‐in‐Place versus Evacuation Decision Making: A Systematic Approach for Healthcare Facilities
Author(s) -
Zaenger Dennis,
Efrat Natasha,
Riccio Robert R.,
Sanders Kelly
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
risk, hazards and crisis in public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.634
H-Index - 8
ISSN - 1944-4079
DOI - 10.2202/1944-4079.1028
Subject(s) - notice , predictability , health care , event (particle physics) , flooding (psychology) , decision maker , operations research , computer science , operations management , engineering , psychology , political science , physics , quantum mechanics , law , psychotherapist
There is little guidance to assist healthcare facility planners to make a shelter‐in‐place versus evacuation decision in response to a hurricane and associated flooding emergencies or wildfires. In such advance notice events, planning steps may be taken that factor in the calculated risk and predictability of the event, allowing planners greater opportunity to implement a systematic response. The authors completed a review of literature and determined that there is only guidance for actions after a decision has been made, but little to help facility administrators weigh their options. The authors conducted a series of structured interviews with community and hospital planners who have dealt with the decision to evacuate or shelter‐in‐place in the face of real events. Insights derived from these real‐event experiences are summarized, and proposed next steps for further research are outlined.