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Decision-Support Information System to Manage Mass Casualty Incidents at a Level 1 Trauma Center

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2013

Yaron Bar-El ,
Sara Tzafrir ,
Idan Tzipori ,
Liora Utitz ,
Michael Halberthal ,
Rafael Beyar  and
Shimon Reisner
Yaron Bar-El*
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Sara Tzafrir
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Idan Tzipori
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Liora Utitz
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Michael Halberthal
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Rafael Beyar
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Shimon Reisner
Affiliation:
Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Shimon Reisner, MD, MHA (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Mass casualty incidents are probably the greatest challenge to a hospital. When such an event occurs, hospitals are required to instantly switch from their routine activity to conditions of great uncertainty and confront needs that exceed resources. We describe an information system that was uniquely designed for managing mass casualty events. The web-based system is activated when a mass casualty event is declared; it displays relevant operating procedures, checklists, and a log book. The system automatically or semiautomatically initiates phone calls and public address announcements. It collects real-time data from computerized clinical and administrative systems in the hospital, and presents them to the managing team in a clear graphic display. It also generates periodic reports and summaries of available or scarce resources that are sent to predefined recipients. When the system was tested in a nationwide exercise, it proved to be an invaluable tool for informed decision making in demanding and overwhelming situations such as mass casualty events. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;7:549–554)

Keywords

mass casualty incidentsinformation systemdecision support
Type
Special Focus
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 7 , Issue 6 , December 2013 , pp. 549 - 554
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2013 

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References

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