A new method for simulated mass casualty evaluation : The Beilinson hospital exercise

ABSTRACT

A new method for evaluating the capabilities and performace of a general hhospital in mass-casualty exercises is described. This method is based on the use of simulation techniques which are realistic relative to the types and availability of the manpower required and tothe time consumed by the assessments, intervention, and administrative duties and demands for each casualty encountered and and the total workload thrust on the hospital by the cumulative requirements of all of the casualties. The simulation can be accoplished only after the time and equipment required for every possible diagnostc, therapeutic and administrative procedure has been assessed for the specific hospital. The simulated victims are selected from a pool of young physicians who are briefed throughly by senior staff physician prior to the exercise. They also serve as controllers in the definition of time mapower consumed for their specific injury set. Given this seting, it is possible to assess the functional performance of a hospital as a unit and for each of its components and also realisticaly estimate its capacity to manage disaster victims using a simulation of a disaster situation with mass casualties (AU)