O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 7 7
Is there a right way to react to active shooter events?
That's an intense and profound personal decision all healthcare providers face. I
believe very strongly that you can't be thinking about what to do when the event
happens. You must have a response plan in place, and put policies into effect that
will allow for the best possible outcomes.
How can surgical professionals prepare for the unthinkable?
Nurse and physician leaders must have conversations about what they will do
and what guidance they will give to the people who work for them. They must
consider different scenarios, decide how they'll deal with each one and have
plans in place that are based on serious deliberation among the entire care
team.
What should those discussions involve?
You can't leave an unconscious patient in the OR unattended. Should you tell the
nurses and circulators to stay, or should anesthesia providers and surgeons be the
only ones charged with protecting patients? When you start asking those types of
questions, you'll quickly realize it's a difficult situation to plan for. But you must drill
down to those underlying issues during group discussions and active shooter drills.
Never assume you'll figure things out on the fly during a real event, because there's
no way you will when someone is blasting away with a gun.
OSM
Dr. Jacobs (lenworth.jacobs@hhchealth.org) is vice president of academic affairs, chief
academic officer and director of the Trauma Institute at Hartford (Conn.) Hospital.
