[Hospital response and medical management in toxic chemical substance disasters].

A hazardous material is defined as any item or agent which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors. Toxic chemical substance events are increasingly common events in our modern world. The numerous variables and special equipment involved make effective response to toxic chemical events an especially critical test of hospital emergency response and patient rescue mechanisms. Inadequacies in management could result in disaster - even when only a simple event and minimal error are involved. This article introduces the general medical management algorithm for toxic chemical substance injury and the hospital incident command systems (HICS) developed and currently used by Taiwanese hospitals. Important steps and frequent mistakes made during medical management procedures are further described. The goal of medical care response and emergency units is to prevent catastrophic disasters in the emergency room and their subsequent results. This article further emphasizes correct patient management not only in terms of medical unit effort, but also in terms of cooperation between various relevant organizations including factory-based industrial health and safety systems, multi-factory union defense systems, coordination centers, fire protection and disaster rescue systems, the Environmental Protection Administration and national defense system in order to achieve the most appropriate management. Such coordination, in particular, requires reinforcement in order to ensure readiness for future response needs.