Here’s a piece of advice regarding communication during emergencies straight from a Joint Commission official.

 

EC.4.13 requires hospitals to consider a variety of communication tactics, including keeping patients up-to-date during emergency responses, said George Mills, senior engineer at The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO).

 

Patient communication is an important point to remember, said Mills, who spoke at the National Fire Protection Association’s World Safety Conference earlier this month in Las Vegas.

 

“As a patient, wouldn’t you rather know what’s going on?” Mills asked. Consider the same approach for patient families and volunteer workers, he added.