Sooner or later, every nursing home will face a major emergency. Nursing home emergencies exist along a continuum.Issues such as choking may affect only a single patient, whereas outbreaks of the flu and other infectious diseases such as COVID-19 can endanger the lives of every resident. In 2017, natural disasters affected 8 percent of the U.S. population—and nursing home residents are not exempt from these statistics. Any of these incidents can lead to additional health issues, such as infectious outbreaks and chronic respiratory issues, so it is important to implement a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. 

As COVID-19, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus infection, continues to ravage the world, medical providers have had to change virtually everything about how they practice. Suctioning a patient is no exception. Providers once only had to weigh the risks and benefits of suctioning to the patient. Now they must also consider how suctioning might endanger their own health, and how it might imperil subsequent patients if they become infected. 

Airway suctioning can generate dangerous aerosols that effectively transmit the virus. In emergency scenarios, Suction Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination (SALAD) may offer a lower-risk alternative to traditional airway suctioning.

The rapid worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus has compelled many seemingly impossible choices: Hospital administrators have had to choose between forcing people to die alone and potentially spreading the virus to others; labor and delivery units must now weigh separating birthing people from their partners or risking transmitting the virus to others, including vulnerable infants. Perhaps one of the most challenging conundrums during this pandemic has been managing the simple realities of CPR. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently changed its CPR guidelines to respond to this emerging crisis. Here’s what you need to know.

Overweight or obese patients can present suctioning difficulties. Because most American adults are overweight or obese, medical providers must train in the treatment of bariatric patients. These patients are highly susceptible to airway difficulties, particularly during surgery. The following strategies can help you effectively suction bariatric patients, even when they present with difficult airways.

The COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally shifted the emergency medicine landscape. Providers are exhausted, afraid, and overwhelmed by an increasingly taxed health system. Patients’ lives hang in the balance, and research shows that they’re just as afraid. Fear of the novel coronavirus is now keeping patients with emergency symptoms away from the emergency room. 

COVID-19, the novel coronavirus with apparent origins in Wuhan, China, has overtaken the world of emergency medicine. It’s so new that doctors can’t confidently assert much about it, except that it is highly contagious and potentially lethal. Its specific lethality, however, remains hotly contested—and difficult to prove, given low testing rates and the relatively high prevalence of asymptomatic carriers. You probably already know the basics. Here are five things you must understand to protect yourself and the people you serve. 

Massive health disasters are increasingly common. As climate change accelerates, so too will the rate at which people die or are injured because of climate-related natural disasters. In 2018, natural disasters claimed more than 10,000 lives worldwide. Infections and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, food and waterborne illnesses, and the flu can also trigger widespread public health catastrophes. Illnesses are increasingly intersecting with natural disasters to produce serious emergencies. Natural disasters displace people, cause crowded conditions, and increase the risk of poor sanitation, allowing disease to more rapidly spread. Public health nurses play a critical role in educating the public and providing support to those recovering from various disasters. 

Power outages are among the most common emergencies, affecting nearly 40 million people each year. For most people, a power outage is a minor inconvenience that means limited access to screens and perhaps a few hours spent playing board games. For some, power outages are more dangerous, and can mean no access to heat or air conditioning in dangerous temperatures. And for an unlucky few, a power outage can present a life-threatening emergency. Clearing the airway during a power outage is a critical and life-saving skill that all EMS professionals must master.

Emergency preparedness is a critical aspect of the job for every medical professional, especially first responders. You’ll be working with people at some of the most difficult times of their lives, often in the wake of immense tragedy or a sudden disaster. Emergency preparedness should guide your work. Making sure you’re prepared for emergencies is not something you do once; it’s an ongoing undertaking that you must continually revisit in training, in your work with other agencies, and on your own. Preparedness saves lives.