What is the protocol for hospitals during peak census or surge?

What is the protocol for hospitals during peak census or surge?

• A. Hospitals should shut down elective services to free resources.
• B. Hospitals should maintain adequate staff and capacity or implement surge protocols when resources are limited.
• C. Hospitals should transfer all patients to other facilities.
• D. Hospitals should wait for the EMS to decide.

Answer: (C)

During peak census or surge, the hospital’s plan is to preserve capacity and ensure safe care by keeping enough staff and beds available and by activating surge protocols when resources are stretched. This means adjusting staffing to match demand, delaying nonurgent procedures, reconfiguring spaces for patient care, and speeding discharge planning to free up beds when appropriate. It also involves coordinated bed management and system-wide cooperation with EMS and other facilities to distribute patients as needed. Transferring every patient would be impractical and unsafe, and waiting for EMS to decide would delay the hospital’s own surge response. The emphasis is on maintaining operations and using surge protocols to make the best use of limited resources.

During peak census or surge, the hospital’s plan is to preserve capacity and ensure safe care by keeping enough staff and beds available and by activating surge protocols when resources are stretched. This means adjusting staffing to match demand, delaying nonurgent procedures, reconfiguring spaces for patient care, and speeding discharge planning to free up beds when appropriate. It also involves coordinated bed management and system-wide cooperation with EMS and other facilities to distribute patients as needed. Transferring every patient would be impractical and unsafe, and waiting for EMS to decide would delay the hospital’s own surge response. The emphasis is on maintaining operations and using surge protocols to make the best use of limited resources.