Disaster risk reduction: What can GPs do?

As the days get longer and warmer, our thoughts turn to barbeques, beach time, camping, and unfortunately, the advent of another bushfire and flood season.
 
Last month’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction reminds us of the massive impact of disaster at the local and global levels.
 
Disaster risk reduction is a critical investment for countries across the world, as the impacts of climate change increase and international aid dwindles.
 
But what can we do as GPs at the local level?
 
Being prepared can help minimise the impact of disasters
The RACGP’s new resource ‘Managing emergencies and disasters in general practice’ contains so much useful information about getting your practice ready for potential disasters.
 
It covers all the things you need to assess your disaster risk and develop, or update, your emergency response plan.
 
There’s a great checklist in the guide for preparing an emergency kit for your practice, as well as key considerations for mobilising your practice team and preserving your practice data.
 
In an emergency or disaster, our first priority is the safety of our families and ourselves.
 
Together with your practice staff, your patients will be at the centre of your practice’s efforts to plan for a disaster or emergency.
 
The RACGP’s resource has a comprehensive section on minimising the impacts of such an event on your most vulnerable patients, such as patients who use medical equipment in their homes.
 
One of the most dangerous and perhaps underestimated risks in a disaster is the potential for a power outage.
 
Restoring power after a large-scale emergency can take days or even weeks, and for those patients using medical equipment, this can be a matter of life and death.
 
In the knowledge that only 7% of people using medical equipment have access to back-up power, the Energy Charter has a national awareness campaign to encourage individuals to make a power outage plan.
 
This campaign uses a multi-pronged approach to planning for longer-term power outages, so that when disaster strikes, people using medical equipment know what to do.
 
The campaign website includes a ‘my power outage checklist’ to spark important ideas for disaster planning. Users are then guided to use the checklist to create a ‘my power outage plan’, which is tailored to their unique needs.
 
It’s a fantastic initiative and one that I would promote at my practice.
 
The campaign encourages people to discuss their power outage plans with support people, such as their GPs and others in the community whom they are reliant upon for support.
 
With the year fast coming to an end, think about spending some time with your at-risk patients to plan for a disaster event – the power outage plan can spark a productive conversation.
 
Prepare now and enjoy all the good things summer has in store for you this year.
 
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