Response of Thai Hospitals to the Tsunami Disaster

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S32-S37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adi Leiba ◽  
Issac Ashkenasi ◽  
Guy Nakash ◽  
Rami Pelts ◽  
Dagan Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Management ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Home Front ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Medical Department ◽  
Tsunami Disaster ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Secondary Transfer ◽  
Hospital Preparedness

AbstractThe disaster caused by the Tsunami of 26 December 2004 was one of the worst that medical systems have faced. The aim of this study was to learn about the medical response of the Thai hospitals to this disaster and to establish guidelines that will help hospitals prepare for future disasters.The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command (HFC) Medical Department sent a research delegation to Thai hospitals to study: (1) pre-event hospital preparedness; (2) patient evacuation and triage; (3) personnel and equipment reinforcement; (4) modes used for alarm and recruitment of hospital personnel; (5) internal reorganization of hospitals; and (6) admission, discharge, and secondary transfer (forward management) of patients.Thai hospitals were prepared for and drilled for a general mass casualty incident (MCI) involving up to 50 casualties. However, a control system to measure the success of these drills was not identified, and Thai hospitals were not prepared to deal with the unique aspects of a tsunami or to receive thousands of victims.Modes of operation differed between provinces. In Phang Nga and Krabi, many patients were treated in the field. In Phuket, most patients were evacuated early to secondary (district) and tertiary (provincial) hospitals. Hospitals recalled staff rapidly and organized the emergency department for patient triage, treatment, and transfer if needed.Although preparedness was deficient, hospital systems performed well. Disaster management should focus on field-based first aid and triage, and rapid evacuation to secondary hospitals. Additionally, disaster management should reinforce and rely on the existing and well-trusted medical system.

Disaster Healthcare System Management and Crisis Intervention Leadership in Thailand–Lessons Learned from the 2004 Tsunami Disaster

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 299-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Peltz ◽  
Issac Ashkenazi ◽  
Dagan Schwartz ◽  
Ofer Shushan ◽  
Guy Nakash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare System ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Home Front ◽  
Medical Department ◽  
Tsunami Disaster ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Medical Teams ◽  
2004 Tsunami ◽  
Flow Of Information

AbstractIntroduction:Quarantelli established criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of disaster management.Objectives:The objectives of this study were to analyze the response of the healthcare system to the Tsunami disaster according to the Quarantelli principles, and to validate these principles in a scenario of a disaster due to natural hazards.Methods:The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command Medical Department sent a research team to study the response of the Thai medical system to the disaster. The analysis of the disaster management was based on Quarantelli's 10 criteria for evaluating the management of community disasters. Data were collected through personal and group interviews.Results:The three most important elements for effective disaster management were: (1) the flow of information; (2) overall coordination; and (3) leadership. Although pre-event preparedness was for different and smaller scenarios, medical teams repeatedly reported a better performance in hospitals that recently conducted drills.Conclusions:In order to increase effectiveness, disaster management response should focus on: (1) the flow of information; (2) overall coordination; and (3) leadership.

scholarly journals Emergency imaging after a mass casualty incident: role of the radiology department during training for and activation of a disaster management plan

2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (1061) ◽  
pp. 20150984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferco H Berger ◽  
Markus Körner ◽  
Mark P Bernstein ◽  
Aaron D Sodickson ◽  
Ludo F Beenen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Management ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Radiology Department ◽  
Emergency Imaging

scholarly journals An armed assailant in our hospital: Are we prepared?

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 712-716
Author(s):  
Sohil Pothiawala ◽  
Rabind Charles ◽  
Wai Kein Chow ◽  
Kheng Wee Ang ◽  
Karen Hsien Ling Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Incident Response ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Hospital Preparedness ◽  
Response Plan

ABSTRACT While armed assailant attacks are rare in the hospital setting, they pose a potential risk to healthcare staff, patients, visitors and the infrastructure. Singapore hospitals have well-developed disaster plans to respond to a mass casualty incident occurring outside the hospital. However, lack of an armed assailant incident response plan can significantly reduce the hospital’s ability to appropriately respond to such an incident. The authors describe various strategies that can be adopted in the development of an armed assailant incident response plan. Regular staff training will increase staff resilience and capability to respond to a potential threat in the future. The aim of this article is to highlight the need for the emergency preparedness units of all hospitals to work together with various stakeholders to develop an armed assailant incident response plan. This will be of great benefit for keeping healthcare facilities safe, both for staff as well as for the community. Keywords: Armed assailant, hospital, preparedness, response, strategies

Prehospital Care of Tsunami Victims in Thailand: Description and Analysis

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagan Schwartz ◽  
Avishay Goldberg ◽  
Issac Ashkenasi ◽  
Guy Nakash ◽  
Rami Pelts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Medical Department ◽  
Disaster Plan ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Tsunami Disaster ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Healthcare Needs

AbstractIntroduction:On 26 December 2004 at 09:00 h, an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude (Richter scale) struck the area off of the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, triggering a Tsunami. As of 25 January 2005, 5,388 fatalities were confirmed, 3,120 people were reported missing, and 8,457 people were wounded in Thailand alone. Little information is available in the medical literature regarding the response and restructuring of the prehospital healthcare system in dealing with major natural disasters.Objective:The objective of the study was to analyze the prehospital medical response to the Tsunami in Thailand, and to identify possible ways of improving future preparedness and response.Methods:The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command Medical Department sent a research delegation to study the response of the Thai medical system to the 2004 earthquake and Tsunami disaster. The delegation met with Thai healthcare and military personnel, who provided medical care for and evacuated the Tsunami victims. The research instruments included questionnaires (open and closed questions), interviews, and a review of debriefing session reports held in the days following the Tsunami.Results:Beginning the day after the event, primary health care in the affected provinces was expanded and extended. This included: (1) strengthening existing primary care facilities with personnel and equipment; (2) enhancing communication and transportation capabilities; (3) erecting healthcare facilities in newly constructed evacuation centers; (4) deploying mobile, medical teams to make house calls to flood refugees in affected areas; and (5) deploying ambulance crews to the affected areas to search for survivors and provide primary care triage and transportation.Conclusion:The restructuring of the prehospital healthcare system was crucial for optimal management of the healthcare needs of Tsunami victims and for the reduction of the patient loads on secondary medical facilities. The disaster plan of a national healthcare system should include special consideration for the restructuring and reinforcement prehospital system.

Medical Response of a Physician and Two Nurses to the Mass-Casualty Event Resulting in the Phi Phi Islands from the Tsunami

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surasak Ammartyothin ◽  
Issac Ashkenasi ◽  
Dagan Schwartz ◽  
Adi Leiba ◽  
Guy Nakash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Medical Director ◽  
Medical Facility ◽  
Unique Problem ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Mass Casualty Event ◽  
2004 Tsunami

AbstractThe Phi Phi Islands are isolated islands located about one hour by ship from the mainland in Krabi province of Thailand. There is a small medical facility where the director is the one physician that provides care to residents and tourists. This small medical facility faced an enormous mass casualty incident due to the 2004 Tsunami. The hospital was damaged by the Tsunami wave and was not functional, one crew member died and another was injured. Medical care and evacuation posed a unique problem in the Phi Phi Islands due to remoteness, limited medical resources, lack of effective communication with the main land and the large number of victims. An alternative medical facility was located in a nearby hotel. The crew included the medical director, two nurses, two additional staff members, 10 local volunteers, and hotel staff members. The medical crew had to treat 600–700 casualties in 24 hours. Most of the victims were mildly injured, but approximately 100 (15%) of the victims could not walk due to their injuries. The medical director, made a conscious decision to initially treat only circulation (“C”) problems, by con- trolling external hemorrhages. This decision was driven by the lack of equip- ment and personnel to deal with airway (“A”) and breathing (“B”) problems.In the post-disaster debriefing, the Phi Phi Island hospital physician noted five major lessons concerning disaster management in such extreme situation in a small facility located in a remote area: (1) effective resistant communica- tion facilities must be ensured; (2) clear, simple “evacuation plans” should be made in advance; (3) plans should be made to ensure automatic reinforcement of remote areas with evacuation vehicles, medical equipment and medical personnel; (4) efficient cooperation with medical volunteers must be planned and drilled; and (5) every team member of such a hospital must participate in an educational program and periodic drills should be done to improve the dis- aster and emergency medicine capabilities.This case report is an example for caregivers all over the world, of an amazing lesson of leadership and courage.

Primary Triage, Evacuation Priorities, and Rapid Primary Distribution between Adjacent Hospitals—Lessons Learned from a Suicide Bomber Attack in Downtown Tel-Aviv

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moshe Pinkert ◽  
Ofer Lehavi ◽  
Odeda Benin Goren ◽  
Yaron Raiter ◽  
Ari Shamis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trauma Center ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Severely Injured ◽  
Tel Aviv ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Level 1 Trauma Center ◽  
Primary Triage

AbstractIntroduction:Terrorist attacks have occurred in Tel-Aviv that have caused mass-casualties.The objective of this study was to draw lessons from the medical response to an event that occurred on 19 January 2006, near the central bus station, Tel-Aviv, Israel. The lessons pertain to the management of primary triage, evacuation priorities, and rapid primary distribution between adjacent hospitals and the operational mode of the participating hospitals during the event.Methods:Data were collected in formal debriefings both during and after the event. Data were analyzed to learn about medical response components, interactions, and main outcomes. The event is described according to Disastrous Incidents Systematic AnalysiS Through—Components, Interactions and Results (DISAST-CIR) methodology.Results:A total of 38 wounded were evacuated from the scene, including one severely injured, two moderately injured, and 35 mildly injured. The severe casualty was the first to be evacuated 14 minutes after the explosion. All of the casualties were evacuated from the scene within 29 minutes. Patients were distributed between three adjacent hospitals including one non-Level-1 Trauma Center that received mild casualties. Twenty were evacuated to the nearby, Level-1 Sourasky Medical Center, including the only severely injured patient. Nine mildly injured patients were evacuated to the Sheba Medical Center and nine to Wolfson Hospital, a non-Level-1 Trauma Center hospital. All the receiving hospitals were operated according to the mass-casualty incident doctrine.Conclusions:When a mass-casualty incident occurs in the vicinity of more than one hospital, primary triage, evacuation priority decision-making, and rapid distribution of casualties between all of the adjacent hospitals enables efficient and effective containment of the event.

scholarly journals Medical response organization in mass casualty incident

2018 ◽  
Vol 0 (1.88) ◽  
pp. 82-87
Author(s):  
O.V. Mazurenko ◽  
G.G. Roshchin ◽  
I.Y. Slychko
Keyword(s):  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Response Organization

scholarly journals The Role of Veterinarians in Mass Casualty Disasters: A Continuing Need for Integration to Disaster Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey S. Holmquist ◽  
James Patrick O'Neal ◽  
Ray E. Swienton ◽  
Curtis A. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Management ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Medical Resources ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Mass Casualty Events

The need to prepare veterinarians to serve as part of the disaster medical response for mass casualty incidents has been recognized since at least the 1960's. The potential value of incorporating veterinarians for mass casualty disaster response has been noted by organizations throughout the world. Clinical veterinarians are highly trained medical professionals with access to equipment, medications, and treatment capabilities that can be leveraged in times of crisis. The ongoing threat of disasters with the current widespread healthcare access barriers requires the disaster management community to address the ethical constraints, training deficiencies and legal limitations for veterinary medical response to mass casualty disasters. An ethical imperative exists for veterinarians with translatable clinical skills to provide care to humans in the event of a mass casualty disaster with insufficient alternative traditional medical resources. Though this imperative exists, there is no established training mechanism to prepare veterinarians for the provision of emergency medical care to humans. In addition, the lack of clear guidance regarding what legal protections exist for voluntary responders persists as a barrier to rapid and effective response of veterinarians to mass casualty disasters. Measures need to be undertaken at all levels of government to address and remove the barriers. Failure to do so reduces potentially available medical resources available to an already strained medical system during mass casualty events.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document