A disaster situation in a medical office practice is defined as any event that disrupts the practice’s workflow for more than 24 hours. Choice (B) would be correctly identified as a disease outbreak, (C) is an individual patient care situation, (D) is a temporary office situation, and (E) is likely to be a regular occurrence in a medical office.
Every office staff member should be considered in an effective emergency plan. (E) is incorrect, as it would exclude key roles. (A), (B), and (C) are incorrect because they are not inclusive of all office staff members. So the correct answer is (D), all of the above.
The correct answer is (A), AED device. (B) would not be effective, as some patients are unable to breathe in during an arrest. (C) is incorrect; chest tubes need to be placed when a lung collapses, not in a cardiac arrest situation. (D) would not be used in a cardiac arrest, as it is used to clear secretions from the mouth and nasal area. (E) is incorrect as well, as it is used to administer medications; it may be used later, but not initially to shock the heart.
All of the above items represent critical considerations in an emergency preparedness plan. (A), (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect, as they are only component elements of the plan by themselves.
Choice (D) accurately defines the role of FEMA. (A) is incorrect, as FEMA does not offer assistance with private insurance claims. (B) is incorrect, as it is the responsibility of the medical practice to train staff to manage emergencies. As for (C), while FEMA is a division of the Department of Homeland Security, it does not directly provide security services.