Q: Is a tabletop drill acceptable as an implementation of the disaster plan?
A: As of January 1, 2002, Emergency Drills must include a "community wide" practice drill component in at least one of the required drills. Because of the potential cost and complexity of conducting a community wide emergency simulation, the Joint Commission has allowed the community wide component of the drill to be conducted as a tabletop exercise. This tabletop drill may be conducted in a single location and involve a limited number of key personnel. This type of drill may allow personnel to invoke the community command structure, determine communication requirements, coordinate longer-range logistics and rehearse other plan attributes in a compressed timeframe. As such, tabletop drills can be a very effective tool in clarifying roles and responsibilities of both the organization and the local responders.
However, in addition to the community wide component for organizations that offer emergency services or are designated as disaster receiving stations, at least one drill must also include an "influx of simulated patients". Tabletop drills are not acceptable by the Joint Commission to satisfy the "influx of patients" component of a drill. For an "influx" drill to be acceptable, it must be an active process that is conducted throughout the facility, involve personnel from the organization, and simulate the movement of patients. A tabletop drill does not meet this requirement.