Preparation for mass casualty incidents

Sheri L VandenBerg; Scott B Davidson

doi:10.1016/j.cnc.2015.02.008

Preparation for mass casualty incidents

Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2015 Jun;27(2):157-66. doi: 10.1016/j.cnc.2015.02.008. Epub 2015 Mar 12.

Authors

Sheri L VandenBerg¹, Scott B Davidson²

Affiliations

¹ Trauma Surgery Services, Bronson Methodist Hospital, 601 John Street, Box 67, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA. Electronic address: vandensh@bronsonhg.org.
² Trauma, Burn, and Surgical Critical Care Program, Trauma Surgery Services, Bronson Methodist Hospital, 601 John Street, Box 67, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA.

PMID: 25981720
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnc.2015.02.008

Abstract

Mass casualty incidents are events where the number of injured patients exceeds the resources of the health care institution to the degree that care may not be available or may be limited for a portion of the casualties. Mass casualty incidents are increasing in frequency throughout the United States. Managing mass casualty incidents has not traditionally been part of the nursing curriculum; however, our changing world requires us to become educated and prepared to respond to these scenarios. This article focuses on intentional explosive disasters and the nursing and institutional response to these incidents. This information is of value to nursing professionals and other health care providers.

Keywords: Acts of terrorism; Blast injury; Disaster response; Explosions; Mass casualty incidents.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Disaster Planning / methods*
Explosions
Humans
Mass Casualty Incidents*
Terrorism
Triage*