Innovative Approaches to Management of Mass Casualty Incidents

New approaches to mass casualty care Emergency responders are trained to recognize disasters, though some are easier to identify than others. Regardless of the cause and scope, medical providers of all types feel the impact when resources are overwhelmed. This threshold will differ for various agencies and regions, but responders can usually predict when their capabilities will be taxed. Mass or multiple casualty incidents (MCIs) are among the more common disasters that emergency services will manage. These events are typically related to trauma or hazardous materials, which have an acute onset and relatively short response time. However, MCIs can also result from natural disasters, bioterrorism attacks or even infections and pandemics, which alter the onset and response duration. Inside a mobile medical unit in Texas. Photo courtesy Nick Sloan Consequently, MCIs can challenge providers with an immediate influx of patients or through more prolonged events, some of which may generate a slower onset but continuous stream of patients. EMS agencies, other emergency responders and hospitals are critical to a community during an MCI and must continue to function and manage daily operations. Although EMS agencies and emergency responders will be challenged, hospitals are the most likely sites to become overwhelmed with patients seeking care from an MCI. With innovative planning, preparation and collaboration, some of the impact of these mass casualty events may be mitigated. Regar...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents Patient Care Source Type: news