In order for people to be able to rely on their care and the reliable operation of hospitals even in emergencies, they must be able to respond both reliably and quickly in the event of a crisis. Cloud-based crisis software supports both. “I would never have thought it possible that something like this would happen here.” These and similar sentences can be heard again and again after dangerous events such as shooting sprees or accidents at events. In order to protect ourselves, almost all of us tend to believe that we are simply less affected by negative events than others. While this misconception, known as the optimism bias, ensures that we don’t constantly worry about everything in our private lives, it can cost us dearly in our professional lives, sometimes even costing lives. Hospitals in particular must always be prepared for the worst and be well equipped for emergency situations – especially for a mass casualty incident (MANV). On 22 July 2016, Klinikum rechts der Isar experienced just how quickly such an emergency can occur.
Rapid response thanks to automated alarm
At 17:51 on this day, a young offender shoots at other young people in front of a fast food restaurant at the Olympia shopping centre (OEZ). He had previously asked them on Facebook to come to the OEZ from 5pm. While still in the restaurant, he shoots five people and seriously injures another. On the street, the man shoots indiscriminately at passers-by and passing cars: three people lose their lives when they encounter the gunman on the parking deck of an adjacent multi-storey car park, three others are seriously injured by his shots. At 18:04, the man shoots at a local resident. After that, the situation in the city remains unclear for a long time. Rumours spread on social media about the whereabouts of an unknown number of perpetrators. Many people panic, try to flee from the supposed danger and injure themselves in the process. When the perpetrator leaves his hiding place at 8.26 p.m. and encounters two police officers, he shoots himself.Klinikum rechts an der Isar reacts quickly and professionally to the emergency. At 18:27 and 43 seconds, an automated alarm is triggered using the crisis management and alerting tool FACT24. Just 4 seconds later, the system registers that the notification has been read by the first doctors and carers. Out of 637 people, 227 are reached immediately. Thanks to the automated alerting system, more than 100 additional medical staff gather outside the surgical emergency department within 30 minutes.
Well-prepared emergency plans
As valuable as rapid alerting is in emergencies such as these, the time advantage can only be utilised if those alerted know what to do and where they are needed. On 22 July 2016, Klinikum rechts der Isar was not only able to call enough staff within a very short space of time, but also put together ten surgical teams. The German Heart Centre Munich, which, like the Klinikum rechts der Isar, is part of the Technical University of Munich, was also involved. The teams on standby were able to provide professional care for both the gunshot victims and those injured in the mass panic. The previously trained disaster plans were reliably triggered by FACT24 and reliably followed by all those involved, not least thanks to the digital communication channels provided.FACT24 was introduced at Klinikum rechts der Isar around ten years before the attack in 2006.
Various scenarios are now available for alerting doctors, carers and administrative staff, which can alert up to several hundred people as required. Which alarm is triggered and when is never decided by the system alone, but always by a person specified in advance. In the case of Klinikum rechts der Isar, this is the senior physician on duty. However, he does not trigger the alarm himself, but passes this task on to the first duty of the emergency department, who selects the scenario and triggers the alarm by pressing a button on the telephone. On 22 July 2016, nine other clinics and hospitals in Munich were able to inform and summon over a thousand employees within a few minutes thanks to FACT24. The fact that FACT24 can sometimes reach the people to be alerted across multiple devices also contributed to this. For example, the system first tries to reach them on their work line, then on their private landline and finally on their mobile phone. If employees are reached on the first attempt and acknowledge the call, the process is completed.Cloud-based alerting and emergency management strengthens the resilience of hospitalsAs COVID-19 has shown, crises quickly push hospitals to or even beyond their limits. If a situation overwhelms hospital staff, the care of all patients suffers as a result. If an emergency occurs, resources must be mobilised as quickly as possible to prevent the system from collapsing. After all, the staff on duty cannot simply be withdrawn; ongoing operations must also be ensured. No one should have to leave the hospital prematurely to make room for emergencies arising from a crisis situation. Compared to traditional hardware or software solutions, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution such as FACT24 offers three key advantages: it is significantly cheaper than the purchase of hardware-based alarm systems and can be scaled as required. As the solution is hosted and maintained independently of the hospital’s IT landscape, it is guaranteed to be operational even if the hospital itself is in an emergency situation, for example due to cyber attacks, power outages or other major emergencies. In addition, call or building management systems that are already integrated locally can continue to be used for targeted alarms and can be combined with the cloud-based SaaS solution via hybrid integration. In this case, FACT24 is connected to the existing alarm solution; however, the (on-premise) IT landscape is maintained by the hospital itself.
Successfully managing crisis situations with SaaS solutions
Another major advantage of a SaaS crisis management system is the automatic logging of all steps taken. This not only facilitates documentation to ensure compliance with regulatory obligations, but also improves the monitoring and coordination of all actions during the crisis. Regardless of the time of day or geographical location, digital, encrypted communication rooms and collaboration applications are available to the crisis team and the teams. The system ensures that all processes, including data storage, are compliant with the GDPR and other specific requirements. Particularly in ongoing exceptional situations – such as a pandemic that goes beyond a classic emergency – hospitals can manage these situations holistically and react quickly to new developments. Ultimately, SaaS solutions such as FACT24 completely rethink hospital alert and crisis management: both the fully comprehensive and the hybrid solution support those who are needed quickly in the event of a crisis. This allows medical staff to focus on their main task as quickly as possible: saving lives.Optional infoboxReliable crisis management in seven stagesEssential processes and tools for professional crisis communication are:
Fail-safe alarm and emergency management in hospitals
To ensure that people can rely on their care and the reliable operation of hospitals even in emergencies, they must be able to respond both reliably and quickly in the event of a crisis. Cloud-based crisis software supports both.
“I would never have thought it possible for something like this to happen here.” These and similar sentences can be heard again and again after dangerous events such as shooting sprees or accidents at events. In order to protect ourselves, almost all of us tend to believe that we are simply less affected by negative events than others. While this misconception, known as the optimism bias, ensures that we don’t constantly worry about everything in our private lives, it can cost us dearly in our professional lives, sometimes even costing lives. Hospitals in particular must always be prepared for the worst and be well equipped for emergency situations – especially for a mass casualty incident (MANV). On 22 July 2016, Klinikum rechts der Isar experienced just how quickly such an emergency can occur.
Rapid response thanks to automated alarm
At 17:51 on this day, a young offender shoots at other young people in front of a fast food restaurant at the Olympia shopping centre (OEZ). He had previously asked them on Facebook to come to the OEZ from 5pm. While still in the restaurant, he shoots five people and seriously injures another. On the street, the man shoots indiscriminately at passers-by and passing cars: three people lose their lives when they encounter the gunman on the parking deck of an adjacent multi-storey car park, three others are seriously injured by his shots. At 18:04, the man shoots at a local resident. After that, the situation in the city remains unclear for a long time. Rumours spread on social media about the whereabouts of an unknown number of perpetrators. Many people panic, try to flee from the supposed danger and injure themselves in the process. When the perpetrator leaves his hiding place at 8.26 pm and encounters two police officers, he shoots himself.
The hospital Klinikum rechts an der Isar responds to the emergency quickly and professionally. At 18:27 and 43 seconds, an automated alarm is triggered using the crisis management and alerting tool FACT24. Just 4 seconds later, the system registers that the notification has been read by the first doctors and carers. Out of 637 people, 227 are reached immediately. Thanks to the automated alerting system, more than 100 additional medical staff gather outside the surgical emergency department within 30 minutes.
Well-prepared emergency plans
As valuable as rapid alerting is in emergencies such as these, the time advantage can only be utilised if those alerted know what to do and where they are needed. On 22 July 2016, Klinikum rechts der Isar was not only able to call enough staff within a very short space of time, but also put together ten surgical teams. The German Heart Centre Munich, which, like the Klinikum rechts der Isar, is part of the Technical University of Munich, was also involved. The teams on standby were able to provide professional care for both the gunshot victims and those injured in the mass panic. The previously trained disaster plans were reliably triggered by FACT24 and reliably followed by all those involved, not least thanks to the digital communication channels provided.
FACT24 was introduced at Klinikum rechts der Isar around ten years before the attack in 2006, and since then various scenarios have been available for alerting doctors, carers and administrative staff, which can alert up to several hundred people as required. Which alarm is triggered and when is never decided by the system alone, but always by a person specified in advance. In the case of Klinikum rechts der Isar, this is the senior physician on duty. However, he does not trigger the alarm himself, but passes this task on to the first duty of the emergency department, who selects the scenario and triggers the alarm by pressing a button on the telephone. On 22 July 2016, nine other clinics and hospitals in Munich were able to inform and summon over a thousand employees within a few minutes thanks to FACT24. The fact that FACT24 can sometimes reach the people to be alerted across multiple devices also contributed to this. For example, the system first tries to reach them on their work line, then on their private landline and finally on their mobile phone. If employees are reached on the first attempt and acknowledge the call, the process is completed.
Cloud-based alerting and emergency management strengthens the resilience of hospitals
As COVID-19 has shown, crises quickly push hospitals to or even beyond their limits. If a situation overwhelms hospital staff, the care of all patients suffers as a result. If an emergency occurs, resources must be mobilised as quickly as possible to prevent the system from collapsing. After all, the staff on duty cannot simply be withdrawn; ongoing operations must also be ensured. Nobody should have to leave the hospital prematurely to make room for emergencies in a crisis situation.
Compared to traditional hardware or software solutions, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution such as FACT24 offers three key advantages: it is significantly cheaper than the purchase of hardware-based alarm systems and is also scalable as required. As the solution is hosted and maintained independently of the hospital’s IT landscape, it is guaranteed to be operational even if the hospital itself is in an emergency situation, for example due to cyber attacks, power outages or other major emergencies. In addition, call or building management systems that are already integrated locally can still be used for targeted alarms and combined with the cloud-based SaaS solution via hybrid integration. In this case, FACT24 is connected to the existing alarm solution; however, the (on-premise) IT landscape is maintained by the hospital itself.
Successfully managing crisis situations with SaaS solutions
Another major advantage of a SaaS crisis management system is the automatic logging of all steps taken. This not only facilitates documentation to ensure compliance with regulatory obligations, but also improves the monitoring and coordination of all actions during the crisis. Regardless of the time of day or geographical location, digital, encrypted communication rooms and collaboration applications are available to the crisis team and the teams. The system ensures that all processes, including the storage of data, are compliant with the GDPR and other specific requirements. Especially in ongoing exceptional situations – such as a pandemic that goes beyond a classic emergency – hospitals can manage these situations holistically and react quickly to new developments.
Ultimately, SaaS solutions such as FACT24 are completely rethinking alert and crisis management in hospitals: both the fully comprehensive and the hybrid solution support those who are needed quickly in the event of a crisis. This allows medical staff to focus on their main task as quickly as possible: saving lives.
Optional info box
- Reliable crisis management in seven stages
- Essential processes and tools for professional crisis communication are
- Automate communication via various channels
- Automated evaluation of feedback
- Ensuring high data security and data protection standards
- Ensuring system availability at all times
- Structured management of tasks and crisis solutions
- Reliable, user-friendly team communication
- Audit-proof documentation
Author: Eske Ofner – Head of Sales at F24 AG
About Eske Ofner: As Head of Sales at F24, Eske Ofner is responsible for supporting existing and new customers in Germany and Austria. She is an expert in alerting and crisis management and has been working for software companies in the security industry for over 15 years.
