Amanda Hannan
Sep 27 2024
Reading Time: 3 minutes
As part of our work taking care of patients, it’s necessary to be ready for emergency situations. Whether it’s a blizzard that disrupts power or a hurricane or tornado that causes destruction, you need plans in place not only to help your staff communicate, but also to make sure your patients know what they need to do to keep their care on track.
Your emergency preparedness plan should provide details on how to respond to disasters in your community. As you develop a plan, find ways to leverage technology to help prepare and educate your staff and patients, and to manage the flow of information.
Emergencies pose challenges for anyone. But keep in mind that older populations may face additional challenges that can make these situations even more dangerous, such as limited mobility or impaired eyesight or hearing. These limitations can lead to added stress and the potential to worsen existing health conditions.
Tools for planning and communication
During an emergency, you need reliable ways to communicate. CitusHealth has tools—both mobile and desktop—that give your staff and patients the flexibility to navigate the confusion that can result from an emergency situation, and support informed decisions to help everyone stay safe.
Education center
The first step in emergency planning is making sure your staff and patients know, before an emergency arises, what they should do. Our education center allows your organization to store the policies people need so they know what to do if, for instance, their pharmacy is closed or a key caregiver is unavailable. The education center can be a great centralized repository of helpful information that everyone can use.
Real-time communication tools
Banner alerts in CitusHealth can deliver important messages, either for staff or for patients. Providers can choose the degree of urgency for the alerts—green, yellow or red—and include details regarding the alert, such as expected bad weather delaying a delivery. Alerts for staff could include information about schedule changes due to an emergency or updates as a situation changes.
The message center lets your staff send messages in bulk to patients. For example, in the event of a power outage, your staff could notify patients with one message. This feature uses a “blind copy” system so that patient information remains private and protected. Messages can be sent applessly or via the application, further enhancing the flexibility and reach of this tool.
Support for the care team
The care team can also use the message center to connect with other caregivers quickly and easily. For example, if a caregiver is unable to make home visits due to an accident, the message center tool can quickly help find people to cover those visits. Replies are directed back to the sender only, to minimize messages that the entire group sees. This feature also allows the creation of message groups, such as nursing or pharmacy staff, with no patient access.
The care team can also use forms within the app to acknowledge that they’ve received an alert, or to alert patients about information they need to provide. Lack of acknowledgement from a patient can alert the care team to follow-up and make sure crucial information has been shared.
Start planning now
Communication technology is a great asset to leverage during an emergency to inform both staff and patients. Contact us to learn more how CitusHealth can help your organization enhance your emergency planning.
