The Joint Commission Emergency Management Standards for Hospitals reflect an "all-hazards" approach to emergency preparedness that permits appropriately flexible and effective responses. Revisions to standard EC.4.20 stress the importance of planning and testing response plans for emergencies during conditions when the local community cannot support the healthcare organization.

Periodic testing of an Emergency Operation Plan enables healthcare organizations to access the plan's appropriateness, adequacy, and the effectiveness of logistics, human resources, training, policies, procedures and protocols. Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) assists healthcare organizations in identifying efficiency, and taking corrective actions to continuously improve the effectiveness of the Emergency Operation Plan.

Using Immersive Simulation Techniques, such as exercises and drills, enhance disaster preparedness programs and help determine how a facility will respond to and recover from all hazards. A Digital Timer System may be used to help evaluate and improve effectiveness of Emergency Operation Plans by measuring time intervals to complete common functions during training and simulated event sessions. In Count Up mode, timer systems display elapsed time precisely to the second. Count up/Countdown digital timers can also provide graphical data when actual response actions are overlaid on planned actions. In Count Up mode, timer systems display elapsed time precisely to the second.

Put the test to your Emergency Operation Plan.

Read up on more timekeeping product applications for healthcare facilities here.