Hospitals patient triage/distribution

A comprehensive disaster plan will account for the effective triage of patients (prioritization for care and transport of patients) and distribution of patients to hospitals (a coordinated, even distribution of patients to several hospitals as opposed to delivering most of the patients to the closest hospital). Review of previous disaster response efforts reveals that patients are frequently... 

Hospital emergency departments must consider themselves part of the overall response which starts with the HAZMAT organisational, rescue primary medical care and decontamination on site. Contact must be established and maintained with the on-site emergency teams and particularly with the ambulance services who are involved in the evacuation to ensure that patients are properly triaged and distributed to the receiving hospitals available. 

---