To ensure that healthcare services can respond effectively to a sudden increase in patient inflow, Region Östergötland, Sweden, applies the PLUS method – Personnel, Locations, Equipment and Management. Internationally, this concept is referred to as surge capacity, often described as Staff, Stuff, Structure and Systems. The Emergo Train System (ETS) is a well-established tool for training and evaluating surge capacity in healthcare settings.
PLUS/Surge capacity Exercise at Motala Hospital, Sweden
Last week, Motala Hospital conducted a PLUS exercise supported by ETS at the Medical Specialty Clinic. Several units participated in the training, including the Emergency Department, MAVA/MOA, the Cardiac Unit, MAVA/Stroke and GAVA.
The exercise began with theoretical sessions on disaster medical preparedness and an introduction to the PLUS framework. Participants also received an overview of ETS before moving on to practical, scenario-based training sessions.
Training scenarios
Two scenarios were used to test and develop the organisation’s surge capacity:
• Incident – Fire:
Participants practiced managing an external event leading to a rapid increase in patient numbers.
• Operational Disruption – Seminar Format:
This scenario focused on handling internal disruptions that affect the hospital’s ability to maintain normal operations.
Building Sustainable Preparedness
Regular exercises of this kind play an important role in strengthening healthcare preparedness. By continuously testing and improving our surge capacity, Region Östergötland ensures that they are equipped to provide safe and effective care, even under unexpected and demanding conditions. Region Östergötland is now also training additional ETS instructors to enable more regular PLUS exercises across the hospital clinics.
