Concept of Mass casualty incidence – This book covers the entire syllabus of “Community Health Nursing” prescribed by the Universities of Bangladesh- for Basic and diploma nursing students. We tried to accommodate latest information and topics.
This book is examination friendly setup according to the teachers’ lectures and examination’s questions. At the end of the book previous university questions are given. We hope in touch with the book students’ knowledge will be upgraded and flourished. The unique way of presentation may make your reading of the book a pleasurable experience.
Concept of Mass casualty incidence
A Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) is an overwhelming event, which generates more patients at a time than locally available resources can manage using routine procedures. It requires exceptional emergency arrangements and additional or extraordinary assistance. MCIs can occur as a consequence of a wide variety of events: disasters (both natural and man-made), terrorist attacks, motor vehicle collisions, etc.
Or,
A mass casualty incident (MCI) is defined as “an event that overwhelms the local healthcare system, where the number of casualties vastly exceeds the local resources and capabilities in a short period of time.”
First and foremost in responding to an MCI is identifying the type of MCI present.
Categories include:
1. Planned (sporting event)
2. Conventional, which usually have some level of recurring frequency (transportation incidents, burn, and severe weather events)
3. Chemical, biological, radiological
4. Nuclear agents from an unintentional or accidental release or act of terrorism
5. Catastrophic health events (nuclear detonation, major explosion, a major hurricane, pandemic influenza, or others).
Clinical Significance
1. Activation of an MC’I.
2. Communications and Incident Management
3. On Scene Control:
“Multipliers that Affect MCI’s” that should be identified and managed as early as possible in the course of an MCI, and are listed below:
✓ Physical location and access/egress complications
✓ A number of access points and distance between exits on a highway
✓ Location, speed, and density of traffic
✓ The weather or roadway conditions
✓ Time of day
✓ Staffing levels
✓ Massive debris field
✓ Other simultaneous incidents that drain available resources.
✓ Location of specialty teams and resources
✓ Ambulances are unfamiliar with a district’s M’CI operational procedures
✓ Ambulances from another system arriving on the scene, or self-dispatching
✓ Hospital backlogs, closures, or lack of resources or capabilities
✓ Communication coverage gaps or inability to communicate with mutual response resources
✓Failure to establish incident command, divisions, or groups early enough
✓ Lack of scene vests or identification of triage, treatment, or transportation areas
✓ Late or improper access directions or staging instruction to incoming units
✓ Complicating factors, such as ongoing crashes, gunfire, or explosions
[Ref: K Park/26]
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