scholarly journals Surge Capacity and Mass Casualty Incidents Preparedness of Emergency Departments in a Metropolitan City: a Regional Survey Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (33) ◽  
Author(s):  
SungJoon Park ◽  
Joo Jeong ◽  
Kyoung Jun Song ◽  
Young-Hoon Yoon ◽  
Jaehoon Oh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Regional Survey ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Metropolitan City

Injury patterns of mass casualty incidents involving high-speed passenger ferries presenting to accident and emergency departments in Hong Kong: a retrospective review

Injury ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rex Pui Kin Lam ◽  
Ronald Tat Ming Wong ◽  
Eric Ho Yin Lau ◽  
Kin Wa Wong ◽  
Arthur Chi Kin Cheung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Retrospective Review ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Injury Patterns ◽  
Accident And Emergency

scholarly journals Design Strategies to Improve Emergency Departments’ Performance During Mass Casualty Incidents: A Survey of Caregivers

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-220
Author(s):  
Shabboo Valipoor ◽  
Hesamedin Hakimjavadi ◽  
Giuliano De Portu
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Emergency Operation ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Physical Design ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Critical Patients

Objectives: To identify effective facility design strategies to improve the performance of healthcare providers and patient flow during mass casualty incidents (MCIs) in emergency departments. Background: Emergency departments (EDs) are the first line of medical care in MCIs. While operational surge management plans are well described in literature, physical design strategies to improve performance and patient flow during disasters are discussed scarcely. Method: An online questionnaire was sent to EDs’ caregivers nationwide asking them to rate the effectiveness of nine physical design strategies, discussed in the literature, to improve caregivers’ performance and patient flow during MCIs. Assessed strategies were about providing expandable departments and care areas, alternate care facilities for the least sick to maximize care areas for critical patients, care areas from nonemergency units, increased number of decontamination units, dedicated isolation units, within-hospital and close emergency operation centers, and within-hospital media areas. Results: All suggested strategies were rated as effective. The most effective and agreed-upon solution was identified as maximizing the care area for critical patients by establishing an alternate care facility with separate entrance and exit doors from the emergency department for the least critical patients. The least effective and agreed-upon strategy was identified as locating a media unit within the hospital outside of the ED. Conclusions: Caregivers who work in EDs consider design strategies to be effective in surge management during disasters. Designers can consider implementing identified strategies in designing new emergency departments or expansion and renovation projects.

scholarly journals Estimating Surge Capacity for Mass-Casualty Incidents

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (S3) ◽  
pp. s159-s159
Author(s):  
Debi Drake ◽  
Chris Dent
Keyword(s):  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Surge Capacity

scholarly journals Mobile Decision Support Tool for Emergency Departments and Mass Casualty Incidents (EDIT): Initial Study

10.2196/10727 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. e10727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Boltin ◽  
Diego Valdes ◽  
Joan M Culley ◽  
Homayoun Valafar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Support Tool

scholarly journals Swedish emergency hospital surgical surge capacity to mass casualty incidents

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Blimark ◽  
Per Örtenwall ◽  
Hans Lönroth ◽  
Peter Mattsson ◽  
Kenneth D. Boffard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trauma Care ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Surgical Trauma ◽  
University Hospitals ◽  
Disaster Plan ◽  
Healthcare Budget ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Trauma Teams

Abstract Background In Sweden the surgical surge capacity for mass casualty incidents (MCI) is managed by county councils within their dedicated budget. It is unclear whether healthcare budget constraints have affected the regional MCI preparedness. This study was designed to investigate the current surgical MCI preparedness at Swedish emergency hospitals. Methods Surveys were distributed in 2015 to department heads of intensive care units (ICU) and surgery at 54 Swedish emergency hospitals. The survey contained quantitative measures as the number of (1) surgical trauma teams in hospital and available after activating the disaster plan, (2) surgical theatres suitable for multi-trauma care, and (3) surgical ICU beds. The survey was also distributed to the Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine. Results 53 hospitals responded to the survey (98%). Included were 10 university hospitals (19%), 42 county hospitals (79%), and 1 private hospital (2%). Within 8 h the surgical capacity could be increased from 105 to 399 surgical teams, while 433 surgical theatres and 480 ICU beds were made available. The surgical surge capacity differed between university hospitals and county hospitals, and regional differences were identified regarding the availability of surgical theatres and ICU beds. Conclusions The MCI preparedness of Swedish emergency care hospitals needs further attention. To improve Swedish surgical MCI preparedness a national strategy for trauma care in disaster management is necessary.

scholarly journals Mass Casualty Management in the Emergency Department – Lessons Learned in Beirut, Lebanon - Part II

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
The Past ◽  
To Receive

The first article in this series (Part I) discussed the abundant exposure of our emergency department (ED) to mass casualty incidents (MCIs), particularly over the past 14 years. This experience led us to define practical strategies that emergency departments can use to develop their own MCI response plans. In the first part, our main focus was to highlight the abrupt nature of MCIs and the subsequent need to use disaster drills. Additionally, we discussed the importance of having a tiered response and activation as well as other lessons learned from our experience to maximize the preparedness of the emergency department to receive mass casualty.In this article, we discuss the optimal way to triage patients. In addition, we will tackle the best methods for documentation and communication, which are vital yet overlooked during mass casualty incidents. We will also elaborate on what we learned from dealing with outbursts of anger and violence in the ED during MCIs and how to ensure the safety of the ED staff.

Principles of Emergency Department Facility Design for Optimal Management of Mass-Casualty Incidents

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pinchas Halpern ◽  
Scott A. Goldberg ◽  
Jimmy G. Keng ◽  
Kristi L. Koenig
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Optimal Management ◽  
Facility Design ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Structural Principles

AbstractIntroductionThe Emergency Department (ED) is the triage, stabilization and disposition unit of the hospital during a mass-casualty incident (MCI). With most EDs already functioning at or over capacity, efficient management of an MCI requires optimization of all ED components. While the operational aspects of MCI management have been well described, the architectural/structural principles have not. Further, there are limited reports of the testing of ED design components in actual MCI events. The objective of this study is to outline the important infrastructural design components for optimization of ED response to an MCI, as developed, implemented, and repeatedly tested in one urban medical center.ReportIn the authors’ experience, the most important aspects of ED design for MCI have included external infrastructure and promoting rapid lockdown of the facility for security purposes; an ambulance bay permitting efficient vehicle flow and casualty discharge; strategic placement of the triage location; patient tracking techniques; planning adequate surge capacity for both patients and staff; sufficient command, control, communications, computers, and information; well-positioned and functional decontamination facilities; adequate, well-located and easily distributed medical supplies; and appropriately built and functioning essential services.DiscussionDesigning the ED to cope well with a large casualty surge during a disaster is not easy, and it may not be feasible for all EDs to implement all the necessary components. However, many of the components of an appropriate infrastructural design add minimal cost to the normal expenditures of building an ED.ConclusionThis study highlights the role of design and infrastructure in MCI preparedness in order to assist planners in improving their ED capabilities. Structural optimization calls for a paradigm shift in the concept of structural and operational ED design, but may be necessary in order to maximize surge capacity, department resilience, and patient and staff safety.Halpern P, Goldberg SA, Keng JG, Koenig KL. Principles of Emergency Department facility design for optimal management of mass-casualty incidents.Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(2):1-9.

scholarly journals Development of electronic training and telescoring tools to increase the surge capacity of dicentric chromosome scorers for radiological/nuclear mass casualty incidents

2019 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 111-117
Author(s):  
Adayabalam S. Balajee ◽  
Maria Escalona ◽  
Carol J. Iddins ◽  
Igor Shuryak ◽  
Gordon K. Livingston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Dicentric Chromosome ◽  
Nuclear Mass ◽  
Surge Capacity
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