Approved by the ACEP Board of Directors August 2004
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) believes that:
Surge capacity is a measurable representation of a health care system's ability to manage a sudden or rapidly progressive influx of patients within the currently available resources at a given point in time.
Health care systems must develop and maintain surge capacity throughout the system in anticipation of the need to care for patients presenting from infectious disease outbreaks, public health emergencies, and mass casualty incidents.
Surge capacity is currently limited for a variety of reasons, including the overcrowding of hospitals and emergency departments due to the need to maintain continuity of care for all other patients.
The health care system must recognize that a sudden or rapidly progressive influx of patients may temporarily eliminate the ability of the system to provide for elective medical and surgical care.
Emergency departments, as principal portals of entry into health care systems, will always be faced with the challenge to ensure patient safety by managing significant supply/demand mismatches.
Funding sources should be developed for surge capacity planning, training, equipment, supplies, oversight and process improvement at the local, state and federal levels.
Legislation should be enacted to mitigate liability issues when surge capacity is exceeded for reasons beyond the control of health care providers.
