TITLE:
Assessing Healthcare Facilities Preparedness for Mass Fatalities Incident
AUTHORS:
Marisol Peña-Orellana, Ralph Rivera-Gutiérrez, Juan A. Gónzalez-Sánchez, Nilsa Padilla-Elías, Heriberto Marín Centeno, Héctor Alonso-Serra, Liza Millán-Pérez, Patricia Monserrate-Vázquez
KEYWORDS:
Hospitals; Morgues; Mass Casualties; Mass Fatalities; Puerto Rico
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
18,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: Any
healthcare facility must be prepared to handle a dramatic increase in deaths
that can be produced by a catastrophic disaster. A mass fatality incident (MFI)
will significantly increase the usual number of deaths that hospitals or forensic science services can
manage on a daily basis. A survey was conducted to assess the hospital emergency department level of
preparedness to deal with an MFI. Objective: To examine healthcare
facilities level of preparedness for an MFI and morgue capacity. Methods: A total of 39 out of a sample of 44
hospitals participated in the study. Seven questionnaires were administered to
explore: hospital general characteristics; emergency plans; equipment and infrastructure;
collaborative agreements; personnel trainings; emergency communications;
laboratory facilities; treatment protocols; security; and, epidemiologic
surveillance. Results: Three-fourths (79.5%) of the healthcare facilities reported
having a morgue, their average storage capacity was of three bodies. More than
two-thirds (66.7%) of the institutions stated that they could not increase their morgue’s
capacity. Most installations without a morgue do not possess an agreement with
any other institution for the management of bodies. Hospitals have a very
limited number of body bags utilized for the handling and transport of bodies. Conclusion: Most of healthcare
facilities have morgues, but there are limitations with the current capacity
and the lack of resources to increase their capacity in case of a disaster.
Management of an MFI must be part of every hospital’s emergency plan, and must include
collaborative agreements with forensic authorities, emergency management and
public health agencies, and the community.