Training of Hospital Staff to Respond to a Mass Casualty Incident. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 95

摘要

Because of recent terrorist attacks, hospitals are devoting attention to disaster preparedness by reexamining disaster plans and training hospital staff to respond to a mass casualty incident (MCI). An MCI is defined in this report as an incident that results in multiple casualties that overwhelm local resources and that may involve natural, biological, chemical, nuclear, or other agents. This evidence report identifies and synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of hospital disaster drills, computer simulations, and tabletop or other exercises in training hospital staff to respond to an MCI, and it reviews the methods or tools that have been used to evaluate these types of training activities. Sixteen studies addressed hospital disaster drills as a training method for hospital staff to respond to an MCI and indicated lessons learned. Researchers concluded that enough studies were available to suggest that hospital disaster drills were effective in training hospital staff to respond to an MCI$ however, weaknesses in study design limit the strength of these conclusions. Although computer simulations and tabletop and other exercises may have a role in identifying problems in disaster preparedness, the evidence is insufficient to judge their effectiveness in training.