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Ready, Willing, and Able: A Framework for Improving the Public Health Emergency Preparedness System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2013

O. Lee McCabe ,
Daniel J. Barnett ,
Henry G. Taylor  and
Jonathan M. Links
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Abstract

Every society is exposed periodically to catastrophes and public health emergencies that are broad in scale. Too often, these experiences reveal major deficits in the quality of emergency response. A critical barrier to achieving preparedness for high-quality, system-based emergency response is the absence of a universal framework and common language to guide the pursuit of that goal. We describe a simple but comprehensive framework to encourage a focused conversation to improve preparedness for the benefit of individuals, families, organizations, communities, and society as a whole. We propose that constructs associated with the well-known expression “ready, willing, and able” represent necessary and sufficient elements for a standardized approach to ensure high-quality emergency response across the disparate entities that make up the public health emergency preparedness system. The “ready, willing, and able” constructs are described and specific applications are offered to illustrate the broad applicability and heuristic value of the model. Finally, prospective steps are outlined for initiating and advancing a dialogue that may directly lead to or inform already existing efforts to develop quality standards, measures, guidance, and (potentially) a national accreditation program.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:161-168)

Keywords

disastersdisaster preparednessdisaster planningemergency preparednesspublic healthemergency medical servicesaccreditationhealth personnelstress, psychological
Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 161 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2010

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