Disaster and mass casualty management in a hospital: how well are we prepared?

in the communities come in all the shapes and sizes. Some impact a small number of people and put intense demands on the health system for a short period. Others may involve a large number of casualties but reach a plateau only after a latent period, placing heavy continuing demands on the health system. For some natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and volcanoes-hospitals are likely to receive advance warning and be able to activate their disaster plan before the event. For other natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunami, there is no advance warning, as of now. Many man-made disasters also provide no advance warning; these include chemical plant explosions, industrial accidents, building collapses and acts of terrorism.[1] The emergence of state-sponsored terrorism, proliferation of chemical and biological agents, availability of materials and scientific weapons expertise all point toward a growing threat of a mass casualty incident (MCI). Preparing for MCIs is a daunting task, as unique issues must be considered with each type of event. [2] For example, the systemic stress of a bio-threat is entirely different from that of a chemical disaster. These differences hold challenging implications for the hospital preparedness and training. The hospital disaster preparedness has therefore taken on an increased importance at local, state and national levels.