Nine in 10 emergency physicians responding to a new poll say that in the past month, they have experienced shortages or absences of critical medicines in their emergency departments. In addition, nearly all (93 percent of 247 doctors) say their emergency departments are not "fully prepared" for patient surge capacity in the event of a natural or man-made disaster, or mass-casualty incident, with 49 percent saying they are "somewhat" prepared, according to the poll conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

"These results demonstrate why there needs to be a much stronger focus on the medical aspects of preparedness in the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018 [PAHPAI] that is currently being drafted," said Paul Kivela, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP. "Hospitals and emergency medical services continue to suffer significant gaps in disaster preparedness, as well as national drug shortages for essential emergency medications. These shortages can last for months, or longer, and constitute a significant risk to patients. Emergency physicians are concerned that our system cannot even meet daily demands, let alone during a medical surge for a natural or man-made disaster."