Citation

Clarke SF, Chilcott RP, Wilson JC, Kamanyire R, Baker DJ, Hallett A. Prehosp. Disaster Med. 2008; 23(2): 175-181.

Affiliation

Emergency Department, Frimley Park NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, Camberley, Surrey GU16 7UJ, UK. sfjclarke@doctors.org.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

18557298

Abstract

Patients who have been contaminated by chemical compounds present a number of difficulties to emergency departments, in particular, the risk of secondary contamination of healthcare staff and facilities. The Department of Health in the United Kingdom has provided equipment to decontaminate chemically contaminated casualties who present at emergency departments. The capacity of this equipment is limited, and although both the ambulance and fire services have equipment to cope with mass casualties at the scene of a chemical incident, there is still the possibility that acute hospitals will be overwhelmed by large numbers of self-presenting patients. The risks and potential consequences of this gap in resilience are discussed and a number of possible practical solutions are proposed.

Language: en