Question

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A critical incident stress management team is usually responsible for mitigating severe stress and also enhancing psychological resilience among emergency responders (FEMA, 2017). This type of resource is categorized as behavioral health. The CISM team they well assess, analyze and also prioritize the different health needs of first responder to an event. It’s important because they may need to educate on the normal stress responses and also the coping strategies (FEMA, 2017). They can put together a group discussion to have social support for defusing and debriefing during an event. Some other resource they can offer are providing referrals to community resources for a follow up or to address a need for a higher level of care. Depending on the hospital the CISM can be made up of about 5-7 responders. When I asked around during clinical it seems like most nurses didn’t know what the CISM was.

Answer 1

Critical Incident Stress Management Program is an integrated system of confidential interventions which are designed to prevent and or relieve the adverse psychological and or physical employee reactions that so often accompany public safety and disaster response functions.

*CISM interventions are especially directed towards the mitigation of Post-traumatic stress reactions

*The CISM program includes :

i)one-on-one crisis intervention

ii)Stress Debriefings

iii)Defusing

iv)Demobilizations

*A multi-disciplinary team composed of a psychologist, trained mental health professionals, and peer debriefers from various emergency services including police, fire, EMS, dispatchers, hospital personnel etc.

*Employees who are experiencing physical or psychological reactions from critical events or any other reason are encouraged to contact their personal physician or the Care Works Employee Assistance Program (ESAP) for further assistance when they are directly involved during the critical event.

*Supervisors, command staff or others sometimes seek to be included in a debriefing or defusing session to show support. This may inhibit some participants from being open and honest.

*Therefore a supervisor or higher authority may attend these sessions only.

*Supervisors will assist CISM team members under their command with regard to attending mandatory training and callouts.

*The CISM team coordinator is responsible for coordinating and organizing each training session.

*Training days are mandatory and members must be in attendance unless excused by the CISM Team Coordinator or his designee

*All members of the CISM program are required to take and successfully complete an initial 5- day training course designed by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (CISF) which is then supplemented with quarterly training.

*For ethical reasons and to keep the CISM program's credibility and integrity, all interventions, defusing and debriefings conducted by any member of the CISM team shall confidential.

*Team members who inappropriately violate confidentially will be removed from the team and may be subject to disciplinary action.

*The CISM program mainly focus to minimize the harmful effects of a crisis or emergency situations and support the efforts of emergency services personnel.

*Confidentiality and respect for the individuals involved are the highest priority for the team.

The CISM team is comprised of professional and volunteer responders from the emergency services, the medical community, education and mental health professionals, all of whom are specially trained in Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISD), aspects of acute trauma and disaster recovery and the basic standards of peer support.

*In addition to Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISD), the CISM program also provides pre-incident education, on-scene support,post-incident defusing and demobilizations to emergency service personnel

*The CISM team is registered with and provides services for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.