California NICU disaster preparedness.

OBJECTIVE: NICU patients are disproportionately affected by any disaster due to their vulnerability and highly specialized care needs that require a multitude of resources. Research in disaster preparedness and its effect on NICU patients is limited.

STUDY DESIGN: From March to May 2018, NICUs across California participated in a survey designed to assess their preparedness for a disaster.

RESULTS: Of the 84 responding units, 99% were urban, 73% were nonprofit, and 65% were community NICUs. As for NICU participation in hospital training exercises for disaster preparedness, 10% did not participate in annual drills, 44% did once a year, 36% did twice a year, and 10% did more than two times per year.

CONCLUSION: We showed that many NICUs had redundant systems in place and plans for various disasters; however, there is not consistent participation by NICUs in hospital training exercises for disaster preparedness.