January 5, 2007—A new report concerning the preparedness of US hospitals for terrorism-related conditions is now available online. “Training for Terrorism-Related Conditions in Hospitals: United States, 2003-2004,” is based on data from the annual National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Key findings include:
- Teaching hospitals were better trained than other hospitals for bioterrorism, and Joint Commission-accredited hospitals had prepared more of their physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and lab staff for such emergencies.
- Eighty-eight percent of hospitals surveyed in 2003 and 2004 said their nurses had been trained in how to recognize and treat patients exposed to at least one of seven pathogens including smallpox, anthrax, plague, botulism, tularemia, viral encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever, and chemical or radiological attacks.
- Eighty-six percent of the clinical staff in hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments or outpatient clinics were trained to recognize and treat smallpox, and 82 percent were trained to recognize and treat anthrax infection.
The report (.pdf file) is available from the NCHS Web site.
