Citation

Lin CH, Lin CH, Tai CY, Lin YY, Shih FF. Prehosp. Emerg. Care 2018; ePub(ePub): 1-5.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine , National Taiwan University Hospital , Taipei , Taiwan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, National Association of EMS Physicians, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10903127.2018.1479473

PMID

30118365

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: A burn mass casualty incident (BMCI) involving 499 patients occurred at a "color party" in Taiwan in June 27, 2015. We implemented a study to identify critical challenges regarding the prehospital emergency care in BMCIs.

METHODS: A three-stage, mixed methods study was conducted in 2016. First, a statistical analysis of prehospital management using the data retrieved from the Emergency Medical Management System of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan was performed. This was followed by a face-to-face, open-ended interview with the emergency medical technicians and the staff of the emergency operations center who responded to the incident; and the transcription of the interview data into constructed themes.

RESULTS: Our study indicated that the signs of inhalation injury needed to be incorporated in the field triage protocol for BMCIs, the collaborative utilization of regional emergency medical services may improve the surge capacity in the field; and an "island-hopping" strategy for patient transportation may allow the healthcare systems to manage the surge of burn patients more efficiently.

CONCLUSIONS: Current field triage protocols may be insufficient for burn patients and should be further investigated. The practices in field triage, transport capacity, and transfer strategy can be considered as a part of an efficient prehospital emergency response to BMCIs.

Language: en

Keywords

burns; mass incidents; prehospital care; triage