Impact on Hospital Functions Following the 2010 Chilean Earthquake

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p><jats:bold>Objective:</jats:bold> The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the 2010 Chilean earthquake on hospital functions and services. Hospitals functioning in a post-disaster environment must provide emergency medical care related to the event, in addition to providing standard community health services. This study focused on damage to both structural and nonstructural components, as well as to utility services.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Methods:</jats:bold> Site visits were made to every hospital in a single province (Bio-Bio). Engineers conducted damage assessments while interviews of hospital administrators were conducted. The survey was requested by the Chilean Ministry of Health (MOH) to assess the impact of the earthquake on hospital operations and facility responses to those effects. Other important regional and hospital data were gathered from hospital administrators and the MOH.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results:</jats:bold> Seven government hospitals were surveyed. All hospitals in the region lost communications, municipal electrical power and water for several days. All reported some physical damage although only one suffered significant structural damage. All lost some functional capacity as a result of the earthquake. The loss of telephones and cellular service was identified as the most difficult problem by administrators. An average of 3 physical areas per hospital lost some degree of functional capacity following the earthquake.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusion:</jats:bold> Even in an earthquake-prone and very well-prepared country such as Chile hospital functions were widely disrupted by the event. The loss of hospital functions can occur even with minimal damage to the physical structure. The loss of communications can impede or halt response efforts at all levels. Hospitals should be prepared to self-sustain following a disaster for 2-3 days regardless of the level of structural damage. Understanding the details of these impacts is essential to hospital preparedness and plans for continuing services after a disaster.</jats:p><jats:p>(<jats:italic>Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness</jats:italic>. 2010;4:122-128)</jats:p>

Effect of the September 2009 Sumatra Earthquake on Reproductive Health Services and MDG 5 in the City of Padang, Indonesia

“…In earthquake situations, previous studies have demonstrated that the operational services could not be maintained due to the limited number of personnel available and lack of utilities, 10,24 caused by direct injuries or deaths of health personnel or the need for personnel to attend to their family. 24 Our data show that the clients perceived the difficulties in accessing the RH services higher after than before the earthquake but without correlation with the degree of disruption. Thus, disruption of the building is not the only factors that cause accessibility problems.…”

Social work disaster emergency response within a hospital setting

“…Disaster preparedness and disaster planning are not always the same thing (Kirsch et al, 2010). Although the social work department had policy and guidelines and a clear organisational framework with specified roles, social workers were required to assume roles outside what was planned in an environment where communication, utilities and transport facilities were often severely compromised.…”

Terremoto en Chile: estrés agudo y estrés post-traumático en mujeres en tratamiento por depresión grave

“…Los autores de este estudio postularon que la falta de relación entre los antecedentes traumáticos biográficos y el EA se debería a que el impacto de la emergencia inmediata habría minimizado la relevancia que la historia traumática previa hubiese tenido para los afectados. Sin embargo, cabe señalar que en dicho estudio estos antecedentes fueron recolectados inmediatamente después de la emergencia, a diferencia de nuestra investigación, en la cual la historia traumática infantil constituía un dato ya consignado antes del desastre natural e independiente de la contingencia 27,28 . Este hallazgo, que requiere aún mayor investigación, pudiese ser explicado considerando que el EA constituye una respuesta inespecífica a experiencias extremas que evolucionaría hacia la resolución dentro del primer mes, lo que -expresado metafóricamente-se podría definir como una herida que logra cicatrizar.…”

“…El área central resultó gravemente destruida, sin luz, comunicaciones ni servicios básicos en un lapso de 5 a 15 días. Su hospital colapsó, al igual que los demás centros asistenciales de la zona 27 . La unidad de salud mental fue desalojada de sus dependencias y la atención de los pacientes se re-estructuró desde el primer día hábil posterior al terremoto en tres lugares sucesivos, con la concurrencia tanto de profesionales como de usuarios.…”