'Freak occurrences are hard to predict': How hospitals plan for unpredictable events

Emergency departments engage in advance planning for many scenarios, writes Colette Sheridan

Dr. Kanti Dusari, Consultant Emergency Department (centre) shows Dr David O'Donnell, intern (left) and Faruk Alagic, Medical Student UCC (right), equipment. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

CUH's emergency department (ED) has had its share of major emergencies over the decades and in anticipation of anything from an aeroplane crash to an explosion in a chemical plant or an extreme weather event, the ED has to be on the alert.

Major emergency planning is vital to prepare a hospital to be ready for the challenges of a major emergency, says CUH consultant in emergency medicine with a special interest in major incident management, Dr Kanti Dasari.