By Jonathan Spero, M.D., CEO InHouse Physicians
With corporations placing an increased importance on duty of care, it is a priority for security professionals to have a solid medical risk management plan for meetings before an incident occurs. There is nothing associated with more liability at an event than a medical emergency improperly managed.
Identify all health risks that could be associated with your program.
Include the routine medical emergencies such as a cardiac event or a slip and fall, but also think about the risks specific to your event and location. There will be additional risks for altitude sickness, water sport activities for example. Internationally, there could be infectious disease risks, and potential food and water contamination issues.
Find out what the emergency medical system response time is to your meeting venue.
Average EMS response time is 10-14 minutes and in emergency situations every minute counts. Note the phone extension for hotel security. In the event of an emergency, 911 should be activated by the hotel security team. Ask the director of security at your venue for information on closest (and best) hospitals and urgent care facilities. It’s also a good idea, especially for large venues, to ask what entrance EMS responders should to use to get to your meeting space. Are there two personnel certified in CPR/First Aid that are available 24 hours a day to respond to any medical emergency? Is there an automated external defibrillator, or AED, on the property?
Consider onsite medical support.
Having a physician onsite for your program makes sense in certain circumstances such as large program, offsite board of directors meeting, or an international incentive trip where the standard of care and/or emergency response times may not be acceptable
Join me at Global Security Exchange for session #6209, Medical Risk Management for Meetings and Events on at 2:15 pm on Wednesday, September 26, for additional details on medically risk-proofing meetings. Attendees will receive a checklist of action items on how you can prepare for any type of business gathering.