CHFM Emergency Management Preparedness 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During an active shooter event in a hospital, what is the correct order of the DHS 'Run, Hide, Fight' protocol?
- Evacuate if possible, hide if evacuation is not safe, fight as a last resort (Correct answer)
- Fight first to protect patients, then hide, then evacuate
- Hide immediately, then run when the shooter moves, then fight
- Call 911 first, then run, then hide
Correct answer: Evacuate if possible, hide if evacuation is not safe, fight as a last resort
The DHS protocol prioritizes escape first, then barricading in place, and uses physical resistance only as a last resort when lives are in immediate danger.
Question 2: A hospital's after-action report (AAR) following an emergency exercise should be completed within what timeframe to maximize learning value?
- Within two weeks of the exercise (Correct answer)
- Within six months of the exercise
- At the next annual planning meeting
- Only after the next actual emergency for comparison
Correct answer: Within two weeks of the exercise
AARs should be completed within two weeks while observations are fresh, enabling timely corrective action implementation.
Question 3: Which healthcare coalition function supports facilities during a disaster by coordinating regional bed availability and patient movement?
- Regional medical coordination center or healthcare coalition hub (Correct answer)
- Local fire department emergency operations center
- Hospital's internal patient placement office
- State health department disease surveillance system
Correct answer: Regional medical coordination center or healthcare coalition hub
Healthcare coalitions maintain regional situational awareness and coordinate patient distribution across facilities to prevent any single hospital from being overwhelmed.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'downtime procedure' in the context of healthcare facility emergency management?
- Manual workflows that maintain patient safety when electronic health record systems fail (Correct answer)
- Planned maintenance windows that temporarily reduce hospital capacity
- Protocols for transferring staff to other facilities during a surge
- Financial procedures for documenting unbudgeted emergency expenses
Correct answer: Manual workflows that maintain patient safety when electronic health record systems fail
Downtime procedures are pre-established manual backup processes that allow clinical operations to continue safely when EHR or other IT systems are unavailable.
Question 5: Under HIPAA's Emergency Preparedness Rules, a covered entity may share patient information without authorization during a disaster in which scenario?
- To treat a patient, prevent or control disease, or for public health activities related to the emergency (Correct answer)
- For any purpose requested by a law enforcement officer on scene
- To media organizations to help locate missing patients
- When the patient's insurance company requests information for billing
Correct answer: To treat a patient, prevent or control disease, or for public health activities related to the emergency
HIPAA's emergency provisions permit disclosures necessary for treatment, public health, and imminent safety threats, but these exceptions are narrowly defined.
Question 6: A facility manager is evaluating backup water supply options after a main water line failure. Which solution provides the fastest operational restoration for a hospital's critical needs?
- Pre-contracted water tanker delivery and stored emergency water reserves (Correct answer)
- Drilling an on-site emergency well during the outage
- Requesting municipal bottled water assistance through FEMA
- Installing a new water line connection from an alternate municipal source
Correct answer: Pre-contracted water tanker delivery and stored emergency water reserves
Pre-contracted tanker delivery combined with on-site stored reserves is the fastest solution since both are immediately available without construction or bureaucratic delays.
Question 7: Which document within a hospital's emergency management program specifically outlines how the facility will maintain operations when normal operations are interrupted for an extended period?
- Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) (Correct answer)
- Incident Action Plan (IAP)
- Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA)
- Corrective Action Plan (CAP)
Correct answer: Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
The COOP addresses how essential functions will continue during and after a significant disruption, covering staffing, alternate facilities, and resource requirements.
CHFM Emergency Management Preparedness 5
During an active shooter event in a hospital, what is the correct order of the DHS 'Run, Hide, Fight' protocol?