Clinical trial NCT06913010: DV 100 as a Framework for the Hospital Incident Command System
Official title: The Service Regulation DV 100 as an Organizational Structure for Establishing the Hospital Incident Command System
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Conditions: Disaster
Crisis Response Plan
Emergency
Communication
Keywords: Hospital Incident Command System
Continental Staff System
Service Regulation DV 100
Disaster Management
Emergency Planning
Hospital Alarm and Emergency Planning
Organizational Structure
Crisis Management
Communication Processes
Transition Processes
Healthcare Emergency Response
Civil Protection
Disaster Assistance
Incident Command Structure
Emergency Management Systems
Lead sponsor: University Hospital Heidelberg
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Prof. Erik Popp, MD
name: Prof. Markus Ries, MD, PhD, MHSc, MA, FCP, FIBODM
name: Janna Küllenberg, PhD
name: Kirsten Bikowski
name: Hanne Schäfer, RN, BS, MS
First posted: 2025-04-06
Enrollment: 20
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The study population comprises all Heidelberg University Hospital staff potentially involved in the hospital incident command system

Brief summary: There is limited scientific research on the organizational structure of the Hospital Incident Command System. The Hospital Alarm and Emergency Planning manual by the German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) recommends a continental staff system-based organization, as outlined in the Service Regulation DV 100, similar to military, fire, and police structures. This approach is frequently discussed at professional conferences, but evidence on its functionality in hospitals is lacking. This study aims to generate new insights into the use of a continental staff system-based Hospital Incident Command System and qualitatively analyze transition and communication processes within the command structure.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Participation in at least one hospital incident command system (ICS) training and, if applicable, in a ICS exercise.

Written informed consent from the employee for participation in the second part of the study (semi-structured interview)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Decline of study participation

Primary outcomes:
measure: Exploration of leadership communication and dynamics during the transition from routine clinical operations to an emergency situation
timeFrame: During the table-top exercise on May 26 and May 27, 2025.
measure: Assessment of training and exercise effects within a structured (according to DV-100) hospital incident command system, including challenges, resistance, benefits, subjective participant experiences, potential improvements, and alternatives
timeFrame: During the table-top exercise on May 26 and May 27, 2025.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Examination of the applicability of the traditional incident command concept in hospitals, considering a workforce largely inexperienced in continental staff system-based work.
timeFrame: During the table-top exercise on May 26 and May 27, 2025.
measure: Evaluation of participants' operational confidence
timeFrame: During the table-top exercise on May 26 and May 27, 2025.
measure: Analysis of communication behaviors within the command functions
timeFrame: During the table-top exercise on May 26 and May 27, 2025.
measure: Assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of a structured hospital incident command system
timeFrame: During the table-top exercise on May 26 and May 27, 2025.
Other outcomes:
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