You must complete your review of this information and all modules in the Decontamination Principles and Practices for First Receivers bundle to receive interprofessional continuing education credit.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033239

Hazardous material event response is an integral part of emergency management care. As a first receiver, you must know the different types of hazmat agents, their basic properties, and the effect they have on the human body in addition to essential decontamination and treatment procedures. You must know and understand the types of zones in the decontamination sector, who populates them, and how their tasks are carried out.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033241

Chemical contamination events can be a frightening experience. Whether released accidentally or intentionally, chemical agents can cause a wide variety of symptoms among contaminated patients. The four most common types of chemical agents (nerve, blood, pulmonary, and vesicant) have unique presentations, effects, decontamination, and treatments. Toxidromes, such as SLUDGE, can help quickly identify the type of chemical contamination present. Once contamination is suspected, time is of the essence in setting up and facilitating a decontamination area for timely management, decontamination, and treatment of patients.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033242

While the risk of radiological or biological agent exposure is low, the consequences are high. Ionizing radiation contamination presents internal and external hazards to victims, and severe exposure is untreatable. Contamination probes and chambers are key to identifying the location, type, amount, and harm of the radiological agent. Biological agents, especially Category A agents, are life-threatening. Proper use of PPE and decontamination procedure is critical to provide care and reduce exposure to yourself as a first receiver and others in the healthcare facility.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033243

It is important to understand how exposure to hazardous materials will present in victims so appropriate clinical decisions can be made upon arrival. Several resources are available to you as a first responder to help assist in identifying hazardous materials.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033244

During a hazmat incident, it’s critical to know who is in charge of the incident, your area, and who you report to as a first receiver. Your hospital has an Incident Command System in place to ensure that a command structure, response plan, and resources are available as soon as possible. Role identification and clear, concise communication are the two biggest factors to keep in mind during a response.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033245

As a first receiver, you must be familiar with the various types of personal protective equipment available during a hazmat event response. Selecting the correct type of PPE and proper donning and doffing technique is critical in order to protect yourself and others around you in the decontamination sector

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033247

Patients may be cleaned through technical decontamination or emergency decontamination. Different systems can be built or purchased to meet the needs of the facility and their anticipated projections of likely hazardous materials incidents. The decontamination team must be adequately prepared and equipped to respond to different types of incidents and volume of victims. The decontamination sector is a medically austere area, but essential life-saving treatment can be performed in a timely fashion.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033248

As a first receiver, you must be vigilant in the assessment, management, and treatment of contaminated persons. It’s important to remember patients, such as children or elderly adults, who have been exposed to chemical or radiological agents may have special needs or require assistance. Not all special needs are visible or clearly understood upon first glance, and they can be a challenge during decontamination and treatment. Some conditions may require a higher acuity of care and multiple first receivers to safely perform decontamination.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033251

Recovery is an important phase of an event response and planning for it should start from the beginning. The process involves multiple steps, some done simultaneously, and others sequentially. Recovery may also require support from both your facility and outside vendors.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033252

No event response system is perfect. No matter how much you plan, practice, and review, during an actual hazmat response some problematic issues will evolve. Thinking through potential problems and planning for contingencies can reduce the effect of the negative event. Exercise your plans to find and remediate newly found problems. Share your findings and solutions with partners at other local facilities to improve the overall system and provide the victims of the event the most effective care possible. This is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise of problem-solving but will help you to recognize predictable problems and ways they may be resolved.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033253

We’ve covered a wide range of topics related to decontamination. Now it’s time to put it all together. Stay alert and recognize what’s happening in your clinical area. Alert and mobilize the facility to set up Incident Command. Follow the HICS to ensure the hazmat decontamination sector is properly staffed and prepared to assist victims. Decontamination areas should be available for medical monitoring, donning and doffing PPE, and conducting decontamination showers. Patients should receive thorough cleaning and rinsing before proceeding to the “cold zone.” Ensure external and internal vendors and teams are notified if environmental concerns are present. Finally, implement a recovery plan to get ready for the next practice drill or real-world emergency.

• Faculty: Craig Deatley
• ID: Pr-033255

Decontamination Principles and Practices for First Receivers CE Evaluation

• Faculty: Brandi Alfred
• ID: Pr-033264