First-receiver hospital decontamination: an 8-step approach to a progressive and practical program.

The effectiveness of hospital decontamination programs begins with planning, preparation, and practice. A well-thought-out hospital decontamination program encompasses complexities that are not always apparent. In disaster situations, the victim, hospital, patients, and staff are placed at serious risk if untrained, unprepared employees perform emergency decontamination procedures at the hospital-receiving site. The authors describe 8 steps to developing an emergency preparedness program and team with decontamination capabilities to facilitate emergency response in the first-receiver hospital.