Review of the Protocol for Evacuation and Transfer of Patients in the Intensive Care Unit in Disasters

Natural or human-made disasters are the main reasons for hospital evacuation. Health officials must pre-plan hospital programs for complete or partial evacuation and establish an optimal management structure for the area of ​​operation. In the present study, we outlined some points for dealing with the possibility of hospital discharge. Despite the high risk of the evacuation of intensive care units in crises, service providers in these wards unfortunately do not receive adequate training on the safe and effective evacuation of intensive care units.

The present study aimed to determine the extent of readiness of hospitals to evacuate and transfer patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit in accidents and disasters.

In the present review study conducted in 2019, a protocol for evacuating patients in the intensive care unit during disasters has been studied. PubMed and Scopus databases were reviewed. For this purpose, the keywords Disaster, Evacuation, and Intensive Care Unit were used. Then, databases were searched with the help of keywords.

In the present study, fifteen steps have been considered for before, during, and after the evacuation of an intensive care unit during disasters. These steps are introduced as a protocol according to the papers reviewed.

While patients are at risk, the hospital manager often decides on how evacuate facilities for protecting patients and staff. Hospital evacuation had a dramatic effect on staff, family members, the community, and even the country, as well as the consequences for patients. Successful evacuation of the ICU in the event of a disaster requires readiness, participation, effective communication, and leadership by special care providers.