The challenges of CBRN hospital decontamination - Group no. 27 - Inter-professional module of public health, 2013

The management of Nuclear, Radiological, Bacteriological or Chemical (CBRN) risk represents a fundamental issue in our modern societies in the face of the challenges linked to our technological development. If, upstream, decontamination falls to the specialized units of the emergency services, it is carried out, downstream, in the health establishments which try to protect their internal organization and to treat the victims regulated by the emergency services. The framing note of May 10, 2012 represents a methodological support for health establishments. It specifies the different levels of protection to be taken into account as well as the methods for dimensioning the capacities and autonomy of hospital decontamination units. In a context of cost control and risk prevention, hospital decontamination presents several challenges, particularly political, financial and training. Faced with the current limits of the system, it is necessary to raise awareness among stakeholders of the CBRN risk. This awareness must be instigated at different levels and be accompanied by sufficient human and financial resources. Otherwise, the hospital decontamination device can only be effective with difficulty. Thus, it is necessary that the public authorities integrate this stake in the decision-making process. The clarification of the competencies of each level will make it possible to optimize this system. The hospital decontamination system must meet the challenge of guaranteeing the safety of citizens, and not just reassuring them