By Healthcare Facilities Today

Riverside Shore Memorial in Nassawadox, Va., recently staged a mock evacuation of the Intensive Care Unit in cooperation with Riverside Health System’s emergency management team, according to an article on the Delmarva Now website.

In the simulation, power was disrupted, and Riverside team members were drilled on how to best protect patients who were on lifesaving electrical equipment and needed to be moved to another area of the hospital.

Normal operations in the ICU were not affected, and extra staff were brought to care for the unit’s actual patients. Exercise leaders had the authority to cancel the drill at any time if they believed it was interfering with patient care in the hospital, according to the article.

A team of evaluators observed the action and an immediate follow-up debriefing enabled participants to give feedback. An “after action report” will guide hospital leaders in making any necessary improvements, the article said.

Read the article.