Principles of Emergency Department facility design for optimal management of mass-casualty incidents

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
Pinchas HalpernKristi L Koenig

Abstract

The Emergency Department (ED) is the triage, stabilization and disposition unit of the hospital during a mass-casualty incident (MCI). With most EDs already functioning at or over capacity, efficient management of an MCI requires optimization of all ED components. While the operational aspects of MCI management have been well described, the architectural/structural principles have not. Further, there are limited reports of the testing of ED design components in actual MCI events. The objective of this study is to outline the important infrastructural design components for optimization of ED response to an MCI, as developed, implemented, and repeatedly tested in one urban medical center. In the authors' experience, the most important aspects of ED design for MCI have included external infrastructure and promoting rapid lockdown of the facility for security purposes; an ambulance bay permitting efficient vehicle flow and casualty discharge; strategic placement of the triage location; patient tracking techniques; planning adequate surge capacity for both patients and staff; sufficient command, control, communications, computers, and information; well-positioned and functional decontamination facilities; adequate, well-located and ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 23, 2015·Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness·Eric GoralnickKobi Peleg
Sep 30, 2016·Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness·Jong-Hak ParkHongjae Lee
Mar 16, 2016·Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ·David J LoweAlastair Ireland
Sep 21, 2017·Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness·Mazen El SayedEveline Hitti
Mar 13, 2019·Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness·Horacio HojmanNikolay Bugaev
May 2, 2015·Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal·Sharon Lee FarraDeAnne French
Mar 12, 2021·Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness·Shada A RouhaniRegan H Marsh

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