TY - JOUR
T1 - Evolving need for alternative triage management in public health emergencies
T2 - A hurricane Katrina case study
AU - Klein, Kelly R.
AU - Pepe, Paul E.
AU - Burkle, Frederick M.
AU - Nagel, Nanci E.
AU - Swienton, Raymond E.
PY - 2008/9
Y1 - 2008/9
N2 - In many countries, traditional medical planning for disasters developed largely in response to battlefield and multiple casualty incidents, generally involving corporal injuries. The mass evacuation of a metropolitan population in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina evolved into life-and-death triage scenarios involving thousands of patients with nontraumatic illnesses and special medical needs. Although unprecedented in the United States, triage management needs for this disaster were similar to other large-scale public health emergencies, both natural and humangenerated, that occurred globally in the past half-century. The need for alternative triage-management processes similar to the methodologies of other global mass public health emergencies is illustrated through the experience of disaster medical assistance teams in the first 3 days following Katrina's landfall. The immediate establishment of disaster-specific, consensus-based, public health emergency-related triage protocols-developed with ethical and legal expertise and a renewed focus on multidimensional, multifactorial matrix decision-making processes-is strongly recommended. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2(Suppl 1):S40-S44).
AB - In many countries, traditional medical planning for disasters developed largely in response to battlefield and multiple casualty incidents, generally involving corporal injuries. The mass evacuation of a metropolitan population in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina evolved into life-and-death triage scenarios involving thousands of patients with nontraumatic illnesses and special medical needs. Although unprecedented in the United States, triage management needs for this disaster were similar to other large-scale public health emergencies, both natural and humangenerated, that occurred globally in the past half-century. The need for alternative triage-management processes similar to the methodologies of other global mass public health emergencies is illustrated through the experience of disaster medical assistance teams in the first 3 days following Katrina's landfall. The immediate establishment of disaster-specific, consensus-based, public health emergency-related triage protocols-developed with ethical and legal expertise and a renewed focus on multidimensional, multifactorial matrix decision-making processes-is strongly recommended. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2(Suppl 1):S40-S44).
KW - Homeland security
KW - Mass casualties
KW - Public health emergencies
KW - Surge capacity
KW - Triage
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=55949095608&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=55949095608&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/DMP.0b013e3181734eb6
DO - 10.1097/DMP.0b013e3181734eb6
M3 - Article
C2 - 18769266
AN - SCOPUS:55949095608
SN - 1935-7893
VL - 2
SP - S40-S44
JO - Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
JF - Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
IS - SUPPL.1
ER -