Introduction: In the anticipation of a great number of victims following a catastrophic event, every hospital has an intervention plan ready to face that exceptional situation. The aim of that plan of alert of in-hospital services (MASH plan) is to optimize the reception and the treatment of the victims of that particular catastrophe, and take care of the usual emergencies at the same time. It also must allow for the reception of the victims' families. The emergency staff represents the first line in the good development of an exceptional situation. Every member of that staff, whichever his/her charge is, should know the existence of the MASH plan, how it works, what has to be reorganized in his/her service, and the part s/he has to play, as modest as it can be. Methods: A survey was conducted in February 2001, among the emergency staff of Saint-Vincent, a 170 bed General Hospital in Lille, to identify what knowledge of the MASH plan they had. That survey consisted of 20 simple questions essentially aiming at four main points: (1) the alert, (2) the practical organisation of the emergency service, (3) the reception of the victims, families, and people involved, and (4) the part everyone must play. Results: The survey was completed by 92.8% of the emergency staff (65/70). The average longevity was 4.7 years. The name "MASH" was unknown to 16.9% of the staff; 36.9% of the staff had no idea where the reception of the victims is, and 90.8% had no idea where the reception of the families is. A large majority (87.7%) of the respondents didn't know their part in case the MASH plan is started, and only 7.7% know how to reorganize the emergency service in that case. Conclusion: Considering these points, information sessions have been organized to improve the efficiency of the staff in case of an influx of victims. The staff will be reevaluated using the same questionnaire, the objective being to get 50% right answers for each question. The members of the emergency team will be asked to update and improve the Saint-Vincent hospital MASH plan.
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