IOM Provides Guidance on Standards of Health Care During Disaster Situations

September 24 -- Public health emergencies and catastrophic events -- such as a spreading pandemic or an unforeseen natural or man-made disaster -- can make conventional standards of care impossible due to overwhelming numbers of patients, and shortages in equipment, medicine, and staff. A new letter report from the Institute of Medicine urges state and local public health officials and health-sector agencies and institutions to prepare for public health emergencies in which thousands or hundreds of thousands of individuals suddenly seek medical care. Crisis standards of care must be in place to ensure the best care possible given the resources at hand.

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