Critical decisions : evacuating hospitals after the 1994 Northridge earthquake : final report.

Includes bibliographical references

National Science Foundation Grant Number CMS-9416277

Spiral bound

This report examines evacuation decision-making processes in hospitals following the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake. While many evacuation studies have been conducted, very few have examined medical facilities and the problems administrators face in deciding to fully or partially evacuate a facility. Among the principal findings of this study were that pre-event emergency plans and procedures were important, but little use was made of them at the height of the crisis; emergency response training was important for instilling knowledge of appropriate actions; the perception of damage by on-duty personnel was the driving force in deciding to evacuate; and clear delegations of authority and procedures for decision making during off-hours facilitated rapid actions