Civilian Hospital Role in Mass Casualty Event (MCE)

Analysis of Emergency Health Care Workforce and Service Readiness for a Mass Casualty Event in the Republic of Ireland

“…Employed across diverse settings, Ireland’s emergency HCPs are well positioned to partner with health system leaders and the HSE to improve preparedness and response capabilities for an MCE. All HCPs responding to the needs of populations affected by an MCE require an understanding of the phases of emergency response, the emergency command system, functional roles for treatment, and fundamental concepts of response 28 . An HCP response to an MCE will require knowledge of rapid escalation of services, treatment at the scene, mass casualty triage, and the clinical management of victims 29 .…”

“…Arguably, if an MCE is to be effectively dealt with by front-line staff, then there is an onus on those staff to know who is responsible for initiating the MCE service action plan. In particular, the Nursing Department’s role and understanding of the MCE service action plan is critical 28 . The average number of participants across all groups who indicated that they are not sure who is responsible for initiating the intra-hospital MCE plan is 22%.…”

“…In particular, the Nursing Department's role and understanding of the MCE service action plan is critical. 28 The average number of participants across all groups who indicated that they are not sure who is responsible for initiating the intrahospital MCE plan is 22%. An average of 15% of all participants are not sure who is responsible for initiating the MCE prehospital MCE plan.…”

“…Competence in major emergency preparedness is multifactorial and requires specialized education and training, [7][8][9][10] and workforce development for mass casualty and public health emergency events is often a major challenge for health systems. [11][12][13][14] Nurses, in particular, may receive inadequate preparation for MCEs. [15][16][17][18][19] Emergency Planning in the Republic of Ireland…”