In hospitals, every moment counts. That’s as true for the OR team as it is for the communications team. As the director of communications and security at Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (GRMC), I know that clear communication, particularly in a crisis, is a core part of keeping the hospital operating and delivering high-quality patient care.
Preparing for those moments requires recognizing the nature of today’s crises. We must prepare for events well beyond natural disasters and health emergencies, to be ready for crises that come in all shapes and sizes. As communications professionals, our role is to minimize the physical, psychological, and emotional stress of these events on staff and patients. Responding takes agile plans that position us to pivot or scale our response depending on the moment, helping us to protect, inform, assure, and lead people through a crisis.
To make that happen, our plan stands on a three-legged stool of clear policies, effective technology, and persistent practice. By taking this approach we can be ready for what may be an unpredictable or fast-developing situation.
Remember the Basics
While the types of crises we’re facing are evolving, the basics of communications at such times still matter. Identify members of your response team first. Ensure your response team understands who will be responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed in an emergency by using a RACI chart. The first few hours of action are critical, particularly because the first few hours of a crisis are usually the most alarming. Don’t spend those moments determining who will take what action.
Develop basic messaging frameworks as well. The details of your communications will depend on the situation, but the early stages of planning should include identifying what key information will need to be disseminated, as well as policies around what won’t be shared.
Define the Crisis
From natural disasters and health emergencies to security threats and maintenance issues, it’s important to identify as many emergencies as possible so that your plan doesn’t have any holes.
For example, cybersecurity is increasingly a concern for hospital IT and communications teams alike. The recent ransomware at Ascension hospital networks are a reminder that hospitals are a significant target of cyber criminals. According to reports, healthcare data breaches have increased 53% since 2020 and cost an average of $11 million.
Cybersecurity threats are often easy to recognize once they happen. Other emergencies are less clear. For example, some maintenance issues or IT service outages may be critical while others are not. Documenting a clear definition for each type will clarify how to respond. Definitions can include the type of emergency, its potential reach, and possible affected parties. Remember, the details matter. Something as simple as color-coding messages depending on the type of emergency can enable teams to assess a threat and respond more quickly. Once the definitions are set, circulate them widely. Our documented categories for emergencies are shared across our hospital so staff can feel secure.
The practice of identifying and documenting types of events prepares us for unexpected and new crises. We’ve developed a stronger ability to distinguish between challenging situations and true crises.
Leverage the Right Technology
Technology plays an important role in our agile plan, particularly as it has evolved in the last two decades. Sophisticated tools are now available, making it easier for communications professionals to identify and find specific features they need.
Assess the needs of your team and the hospital to find the right fit. Consider how you will use the technology and your desired reach. Do you need to contact off-site staff members? Are you communicating across a multi-facility system? Will you be sending text only messages or messages with images? Creating a checklist of must-haves and nice-to-haves will help determine which technology messaging system is right.
At GRMC, we prioritized the ability to send silent messages, instant and unignorable delivery, and mass and targeted distribution. After considering our options, we found the features we were looking for in NetSupport Notify.
Using the NetSupport tool, we are able to discreetly notify staff members on their desktops. Silent messages provide an advantage if there is an unwanted intruder or another threat that may cause patients or visitors to panic. The desktop messaging system is also helpful because the messages are not overlooked. Emails and text messages get lost in overflowing inboxes. Instead, our messages now appear on-screen for staff immediately so they always receive important information. The ability to target specific groups was also vital as there are some emergencies, such as maintenance or IT issues that will only affect certain floors or areas. By segmenting our messages we can reach relevant groups without interrupting everyone else.
Practice Often
While you will never know what a crisis has in store for your team, you can be more prepared when you practice. Run drills regularly that involve appropriate stakeholders. Each time you repeat the process staff become more prepared to respond. You can also use practice time to reflect on any changes that could impact your response. For example, have technological, medical, safety, or cultural contexts changed since the last time you ran a drill? If they have, consider how those changes might shift your actions. Document the changes so everyone understands how to respond differently.
Create Back Ups
When creating your crisis response plan, consider scenarios that may disrupt your planned course. Examples could include missing a key person from the response team, alternative machines needed to use if equipment is down, and alternative messaging systems if the electricity is out. A decision tree is useful to consider all the possible responses and can ensure you’re able to pivot quickly should the unexpected happen.
Hospitals face a multitude of potential crises. Having a crisis response plan that can be adjusted over time as well as in the moment will enable quick responses, prevent the delivery of mixed messages, and keep everyone informed. We may never be able to fully predict everything that happens, but with the right plan in place we can be ready for anything that does.
