Center for Disaster Medicine Provides Mass Casualty Triage Training to NYU Langone
The Center for Disaster Medicine took its expertise on the road and gave an eight-hour Principles and Application of Mass Causality course to emergency department clinicians and other physicians at New York University (NYU) Langone Hospital—Brooklyn on July 22.
The course is designed to refresh the knowledge of medical professionals who would be responsible for the initial triage of victims following a disaster such as a mass shooting.
New literature in emergency and disaster medicine following recent mass shootings, bombings and other disasters suggests that emergency departments may be underprepared for the influx of “self-referred” patients following a mass casualty event. A “self-referred” patient is a victim of one of these incidents who self-evaluates and bypasses the on-scene triage, treatment and transport procedures initiated by EMS agencies. Certain acute care hospitals are not equipped to address an influx of “walk-in” patients who might have medical or surgical needs beyond the hospital’s capacity and capabilities. The training course focused on prioritizing patient care based on the capacity for surgical intervention, critical care admission or stabilization in the emergency department.
“Preparing medical professionals with the education they need in order to manage an unexpected influx of patients and properly prioritize treatment is a skill that will help save lives,” said David S. Markenson, M.D., M.B.A., director and medical director of the Center for Disaster Medicine. “Even the most seasoned emergency room professional can benefit from learning or brushing up on the most effective triage methods. These sessions are proactive ways medical professionals can prepare for disaster situations.”