Previously submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research (no longer under consideration since Sep 29, 2021)
Date Submitted: Oct 5, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
An internet-based simulation drill to determine the optimal preparation of medical supply for prehospital emergencies and disasters
ABSTRACT
Background:
Mass casualties caused by natural disasters and man-made events may overwhelm local emergency medical services and healthcare systems. Logistics is essential to a successful emergency medical response. Drills have been used in disaster preparedness to validate plans, policies, procedures, and agreements, and identify resource gaps. The application of the internet to facilitate the conduct of exercise was still limited.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the optimal preparation of medical supplies by medical emergency response teams during emergencies and disasters using an internet-based drill.
Methods:
An internet-based drill based on real-life mass casualty incidents (MCIs) was developed and conducted in Taiwan from June 2017 to July 2018. The drill involved an MCI with 50 events delivered under two scenarios: 1) reduced transfer capacity and well-functioning local healthcare facilities (emergency module); 2) severely reduced transfer capacity and dysfunctional local health care facilities (disaster module). For each event, medical supplies commonly prepared by local medical emergency response teams in Taiwan were listed in structured questionnaires and participants selected the supplies they would use.
Results:
Forty-three senior medical emergency responders participated in the survey (responding rate of 47.3%). Resuscitation-related supplies increased from emergency to disaster module (e.g., intubation from 9.1% to 13.9%; dopamine from 3.2% to 5.0%;p<0.001 for all). In the subgroup analysis of events with life-threatening injuries, the utilization of resuscitation -related supplies (e.g., intubation from 46.6% to 65.3%; p<0.001) remained higher in the disaster than in the emergency module. Compared to emergency medical technicians, physicians and nurses are more likely to use intravenous/intramuscular analgesics.
Conclusions:
The severity of scenarios and the professional background of emergency responders have a different utilization of medical supplies in the simulation drill. The internet-based drill may contribute to optimize preparedness of medical response to prehospital emergencies and disasters.drill; internet; emergency management; resource management; disaster medical assistance team
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