Tag: Disaster Response
Augmenting Critical Care Capacity During A Disaster
In a medical context, the term surge capacity refers to a healthcare delivery system’s ability to rapidly accommodate an increased demand for services under extenuating circumstances. The 3 most commonly identified components of surge capacity are staff, stuff (equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals), and space (room to accommodate patients, providers, and equipment) (1).
Disaster, Disaster Response, Emergency Response
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Augmenting Critical Care Capacity During a Disaster
This complimentary chapter from Fundamental Disaster Management aims to: identify the 4 components of surge capacity, explain how surge capacity relates to intensive care unit (ICU) readiness for a mass casualty incident, discuss the challenges inherent in maintaining high surge capacity in the ICU, explain how ICU surge capacity fits within the larger framework of disaster medical response
Disaster Response
Disaster Triage and Allocation of Scarce Resources
When disaster strikes, effective management of resources can significantly influence the overall outcome of the response. If the number of victims and the complexity of their injuries are low and resources are abundant, resource allocation will have little impact on the disaster outcome. However, if there is a high number of victims with complex injuries and available resources are limited, how those resources are used will determine the outcome for some individuals.
Disaster, Disaster Response, Emergency Response, Triage
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Conventional Explosions and Blast Injuries
This complimentary chapter from Fundamental Disaster Management aims to describe the mechanisms of injury associated with conventional explosions, outline triage strategies and markers of severe injury in patients wounded in conventional explosions, explain the general principles of critical care and procedural support in mass casualty incidents caused by conventional explosions, discuss organ-specific support for victims of conventional explosions.
Disaster Response
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Critical Care of the Burn Patient
This complimentary chapter from Current Concepts aims to describe at least 3 components of a burn-specific secondary survey, plan fluid resuscitation for a patient with a large burn, list at least 3 important burn-related issues that arise in the ICU when caring for patients with large burns
Disaster Response
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Disaster Triage and Allocation of Scare Resources
This complimentary chapter from Fundamental Disaster Management aims to: describe the types and characteristics of surges, summarize key events in the history of triage, identify what critical care resources may have to be allocated or triaged during a disaster, explain the differences between resource allocation, rationing, and triage.
Disaster Response
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Provision of Sophisticated Critical Care Beyond the Hospital
"The provision of sophisticated critical care beyond the hospital: Lessons from physiology and military experiences that apply to civil disaster medical response," published in Critical Care Medicine (CCM), explores existing ICU care systems such as military aeromedical transport that may be applicable to disaster medicine and to providing critical care outside of an ICU setting.
Disaster Response
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Public health issues in disasters
This article outlines a number of important areas in which public health can contribute to making overall disaster management more effective. This article discusses health effects of some of the more important sudden impact natural disasters and potential future threats (e.g., intentional or deliberately released biologic agents) and outlines the requirements for effective emergency medical and public health response to these events.
Disaster Response
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Strategies to improve pediatric disaster surge response
This article aims to estimate the potential for disaster mortality reduction with two surge response strategies: 1) control distribution of disaster victims to avoid hospital overcrowding near the scene, and 2) expand capacity by altering standards of care to only “essential” interventions.
Disaster Response
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Sustained Mechanical Ventilation Outside of Traditional Intensive Care Units
This complimentary chapter from Fundamental Disaster Management aims to: describe the medical response capability needed for mass casualty respiratory failure, summarize the functional requirements of space to be adapted for disaster critical care, identify the essential characteristics of positive pressure ventilation equipment for use in a mass casualty incident, summarize the ancillary respiratory equipment recommended for use in mass casualty critical care.
Disaster Response
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What Do I Need to Know About Rationing in the ICU?
This chapter from Critical Care Ethics discusses rationing, with an emphasis on ethical principles and practice. Rationing refers to the distribution of resources, and the application of justice to this practice implies that resources are distributed fairly. Most people would say that it is only fair to invoke the principle of justice (as opposed to the principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence) before you approach the patient’s bedside.
Disaster Response