NSG 4076 Week 4 Journal – Bi-weekly Practicum Journaling Part 2

The video on disaster preparation was an eye-opener. The Tampa, Florida, region is prone to various disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and sinkholes. Therefore, as a responsible member of the healthcare community, I must be well-versed in all aspects of disaster management and ensure that I can help other professionals manage any situation should a disaster occur. One of the key lessons I learned from the video was the triage criteria that should be followed during a disaster. During a disaster, the injured are placed in four categories: urgent, emergency, non-urgent, and non-salvageable (Bazyar et al., 2020). These categories are depicted by the colors red, yellow, green, and black, respectively (Bazyar et al., 2020). In the event of a disaster in my area, I would apply the triage criteria by ensuring that the injured are placed in their respective categories while alerting the healthcare professionals to the various tags, thus ensuring that everyone receives the medical attention they need. While I have never worked in a real disaster setting, I could provide some recommendations in the event of a tornado in my area. One recommendation would be for people to avoid the doors and windows. Another recommendation would be for people to look for a sturdy building to shelter them from the storm (Phillips et al., 2021). Markedly, these two recommendations would help in minimizing injuries and the loss of lives.

References

Bazyar, J., Farrokhi, M., Salari, A., & Khankeh, H. R. (2020). The principles of triage in emergencies and disasters: A systematic review. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 35(3), 305-313. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x20000291