Paper
Monday, November 5, 2007
391
Willingness to Respond: A Survey of Emergency Department Personnel and Their Predicted Participation in Mass Casualty Terrorist Events
Mary Frances Kordick, BS, MBA, BSN, MSN, PhD, CNAA, BC1, Lori Winston, MD1, and Christel Steffen, MD2. (1) Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA, (2) Emergency Medicine, Providence Medford Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to identify four reasons for the inadequate preparedness of hospital emergency department personnel for mass casualty terrorist events |
| Learning Objective #2: The learner will be able to identify two benefits customarily offered by hospitals that may increase response of personnel for mass casualty terrorist events. |
Abstract
Background: In May 2003, the Topoff 2 national disaster drill demonstrated inadequate preparedness for mass casualty terrorist events and failed to address the willingness of ED personnel to assist with these events. Study Objectives: Examine ED personnel willingness to respond to various multiple casualty events. Design & Methods: A prospective voluntary survey of ED personnel from multiple hospitals were randomly administered vignette-based questionnaires. Results: 204 participants at 8 hospitals in the Chicago area reveal: staff were more willing to work additional hours for victims of an airplane crash (98.0%), radioactive bomb (85.3%), and biologic agent (54.0%). For the biologic agent only, men were significantly more likely to respond than women. Conclusion: Anticipate significant reductions in workforce during biologic and radioactive disaster events. Employees’ willingness to respond were not augmented by any incentives offered by hospitals, although enhanced financial remuneration and disability coverage showed the most potential to increase response.
Key Words: Mass Casualty Events, Preparedness, Survey, Terrorism
Willingness to Respond