The number of persons seeking medical treatment during a public health emergency could quickly overwhelm the capacity of hospitals and emergency rooms. The amount of surge capacity home health care could provide during a public health emergency is unknown. The purpose of this research is to quantify the surge capacity of the home health sector in four emergency scenarios. According to the model developed, routine demand will exceed scenario capacity for almost all home health agencies in all pessimistic cases for the four scenarios discussed. However, home health agencies have the surge capacity to contribute to the provision of care for patients during times of demand under routine operating conditions as well as in conditions where demand may be moderately increased.
DavisMVBevcCASchenckAP. Declining trends in local health department preparedness capacities. Am J Public Health. 2014;104(11):2233-2238. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302159.
8.
OlafsonKRamseyCYogendranM. Surge capacity: analysis of census fluctuations to estimate the number of intensive care unit beds needed. Health Serv Res. 2015;50(1):237-252. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.12209.
9.
SotoM. Measuring and assessing public health emergency preparedness. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013;19:S16-S21. doi:10.1097/PHH.0b013e318294b0e3.
10.
WatsonSKRudgeJWCokerR. Health systems’ “surge capacity”: state of the art and priorities for future research. Milbank Q. 2013;91(1):78-122. doi:10.1111/milq.12003.
11.
KnebelAPhillipsSJ, eds. Home Health Care During an Influenza Pandemic: Issues and Resources (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0018). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2008. http://healthvermont.gov/emerg/documents/homehealthcare.pdf. Accessed May 28, 2015.
12.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Health care at the crossroads: strategies for creating and sustaining community-wide emergency preparedness systems. http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/emergency_preparedness.pdf. Published 2003. Accessed April 28, 2016.
13.
KelenGDKrausCKMcCarthyML. Inpatient disposition classification for the creation of hospital surge capacity: a multiphase study. Lancet. 2006;368(9551):1984-1990.
QureshiKGershonRShermanMF. Health care workers’ ability and willingness to report to duty during catastrophic disasters. J Urban Health. 2005;82(3):378-388. doi:10.1093/jurban/jti086.
18.
AdamsLBerryD. Who will show up? Estimating ability and willingness of essential hospital personnel to report to work in response to a disaster. Online J Issues Nurs. 2012;17(2). doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol17No2PPT02.
19.
BalicerROmerSBarnettDEverlyG. Local public health workers’ perceptions toward responding to an influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2006;6(99). doi:10.1186.1471-2458-6-99.
20.
BoldorNBar-DayanYRosenbloomTShemerJBar-DayanY. Optimism of health care workers during a disaster: a review of the literature. Emerg Health Threats J. 2012;5. doi:10.3402/ehtj.v5i0.7270.
21.
MastersonLSteffenCBrinMKordickMChristosS. Willingness to respond: of emergency department personnel and their predicted participation in mass casualty terrorist events. J Emerg Med. 2009;36(1):43-49. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2007.10.074.
22.
ConeDCCummingsBA. Hospital disaster staffing: if you call, will they come?Am J Disaster Med. 2006;1(1):28-36.
23.
FungOMLokeAY. Nurses’ willingness and readiness to report for duty in a disaster. J Emerg Manag. 2013;11(1):25-37.
24.
ChaffeeM. Willingness of health care personnel to work in a disaster: an integrative review of the literature. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(1):42-56. doi:10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818e8934.
25.
CouigM. Willingness, ability, and intentions of health care workers to respond. Annu Rev Nurs Res. 2012;30:193-208.
26.
RossowCCIvanitskayaLVFultonLVFalesWD. Healthcare workers’ willingness to report to work during an influenza pandemic: a systematic literature review. J Homel Secur Emerg. 2015;12(4):823-843. doi:10.1515/jhsem-2014-0115.
27.
BalicerRDCatlettCLBarnettDJ. Characterizing hospital workers’ willingness to respond to a radiological event. PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e25327. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025327.
WhetzelEWalker-CilloGChanGKTrivettJ. Emergency nurse perceptions of individual and facility emergency preparedness. J Emerg Nurs. 2013;39(1):46-52. doi:10.1016/j.jen.2011.08.005.
35.
Al KhalailehMABondEAlasadJA. Jordanian nurses’ perceptions of their preparedness for disaster management. Int Emerg Nurs. 2012;20(1):14-23. doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2011.01.001.
36.
JacobsonHSoto MasFHsuCTurleyJMillerJKimM. Self-assessed emergency readiness and training needs of nurses in rural Texas. Public Health Nurs. 2010;27(1):41-48. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1446.2009.00825.x.
37.
BaackSAlfredD. Nurses’ preparedness and perceived competence in managing disasters. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2013;45(3):281-287. doi:10.1111/jnu.12029.
KentD. Effects of a just-in-time educational intervention placed on wound dressing packages: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2010;37(6):609-614.
41.
HelmanSLisantiAAdamsAFieldCDavisK. Just-in-time training for high-risk low-volume therapies: an approach to ensure patient safety. J Nurs Care Qual. 2016;31(1):33-39.
42.
ColvardMDHirstJLVesperBJ. Just-in-time training of dental responders in a simulated pandemic immunization response exercise. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2014;8(3):247-251.
43.
ChiltonJMcNeillCAlfredD. Survey of nursing students’ self-reported knowledge of Ebola virus disease, willingness to treat, and perceptions of their duty to treat. J Prof Nurs. 2016;32(6):487-493.
