LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / LETTER TO THE EDITOR
A need for prehospital triage standardizing tool in mass casualty incidents
 
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1
Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Sweden
 
2
Department of Development and Research, Armed Forces Center for Defense Medicine, Gothenburg, Sweden
 
3
Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
 
4
USN School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg, Norway
 
5
Department of Security Studies, Military University of Aviation, Dęblin, Poland
 
6
Emergency Department, Humanitas Mater Domini, Castellanza, Italy
 
7
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, the United States
 
 
Submission date: 2021-07-09
 
 
Acceptance date: 2021-07-09
 
 
Publication date: 2021-07-15
 
 
Health Prob Civil. 2021;15(4):249-250
 
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
There is no global consensus on the use of prehospital triage systems in mass casualty incidents [1,2]. However, most of the triage systems aim to cover four essential factors: speed, precision, fairness, and compatibility [3], of which the element of speed of decision-making is of importance, due to the large number of casualties that should be managed. Prehospital triage systems range from fast, crude algorithms and flowcharts to complex scoring systems requiring exact information on vital parameters, mechanisms of injury and available resources [1,2]. This heterogeneity constitutes a particular threat in the event of a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) which often involves rescue personnel from different organizations or nationalities. There have been several attempts to achieve a global or national consensus in a number of cases without fruition due to a lack of actual research behind the origin or refinements of the various systems. When proposing a modern system for universal consideration there often has not been much more than anecdotal evidence to its efficacy, making it hard to choose one over the other [1-4].
REFERENCES (5)
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Bazyar J, Farrokhi M, Khankeh H. Triage systems in mass casualty incidents and disasters: a review study with a worldwide approach. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2019; 7: 482-494. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms....
 
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Khorram-Manesh A. Facilitators and constrainers of civilian-military collaboration: the Swedish perspectives. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2020; 46: 649-656. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068....
 
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Burkle MF. Triage and the lost art of decoding vital signs: restoring physiologically based triage skills in complex humanitarian emergencies. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2017; 12(1): 76-85. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.20....
 
5.
Jenkins  JL, McCarthy ML, Sauer LM, Green GB, Stuart S, Thomas TL, et al. Mass-casualty triage: time for an evidence-based approach. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008; 23(1): 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S10490....
 
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ISSN:2353-6942
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