[The hospital emergency plan].

STRUCTURE: The hospital emergency plan consists of a basic plan and an appendix. The basic plan deals with the general aspects of emergency operation and the special aspects of external and internal emergencies. The appendix contains special instructions, e.g., emergency action orders, staff alert lists, material lists, and situation plans.

CONTENT AND IMPLEMENTATION: External emergencies (e.g., mass casualty incidents) and internal emergencies (e.g., fire and other environmental threats) should be regarded. Once a defined experienced physician decides to activate the emergency plan, the hospital changes from routine to emergency service. Due to its security significance, the emergency plan should be regarded as confidential.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: A two-tier chain of command is implemented: the hospital staff deals with administrational and organizational aspects, whereas the subsequent medical staff is in charge of immediate patient care. Repeated updating and exercises are necessary. Furthermore, a basic logistic autonomy of the hospital is essential.