Analysis of response of disaster medical assistance teams and public health disaster response teams in incident cases of mass casualty: a comparative analysis of medically underserved area and adequately served area

Ma, Jin Sil; Woo, Jae-Hyug; Choi, Woo-Sung; Yang, Hyuk Jun; Hyun, Sung Youl

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 32(2); 2021 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2021;32(2): 151-161.

재난의료지원팀과 보건소 신속대응반의 다수사상자 발생 사고 대응에 대한 분석: 응급의료취약지 여부에 따른 비교

마진실^1,2

¹가천대학교 보건대학원
²국립중앙의료원 중앙응급의료센터 재난응급의료상황실
³가천대학교 의과대학 길병원 응급의학과
⁴가천대학교 의과대학 길병원 외상외과

Analysis of response of disaster medical assistance teams and public health disaster response teams in incident cases of mass casualty: a comparative analysis of medically underserved area and adequately served area

Jin Sil Ma^1,2

¹Gachon University Graduate School of Public Health, Incheon, Korea
²Disaster Emergency Medical Service Situation Room, National Emergency Medical Center, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
³Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
⁴Department of Traumatology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea

Correspondence

Jae-Hyug Woo ,Tel: 032-460-3901, Fax: 032-460-3019, Email: emmetalkiller@gilhospital.com,

Received: November 14, 2021; Revised: April 7, 2020 Accepted: August 10, 2020. Published online: April 30, 2021.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
When mass casualty incidents occur in Korea, disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs) and public health disaster response teams (PHDRTs) treat casualties at the scene. However, the appropriateness of their on-site responses has not been assessed so far. In this study, we evaluated their response and the variations in their response according to the accessibility of medical care.
Method:
We analyzed mass casualty incidents that were reported to the Disaster Emergency Medical Service Situation Room of the National Emergency Medical Center from July 2014 to December 2018. We divided the accident locations into medically underserved areas (MUAs) and adequately served areas (ASAs) and compared the responses of the two teams in each area.
Results:
Of the 61 incidents, 20 occurred in MUAs, and 41 occurred in ASAs. In MUAs compared to ASAs, time from DMATs' dispatch to arrival was longer (48 [40-58.5] vs. 23 [18-32], P<0.001) but the time taken by the PHDRTs did not vary between two areas (19 [14-35] vs. 15.5 [9-24.5], P=0.263). In MUAs, the time elapsed from the PHDRTs' dispatch to arrival was less than that of the DMATs (48 [40-58.5] vs. 20 [15-35], P<0.001). In MUAs, the distance of the PHDRTs from the scene was lower (31.4 [25-50.95] vs. 13.6 [5.3-19.7], P=0.001) and more members were dispatched to the scene than the DMAT (5 [4-6] vs. 9 [5-10.5], P=0.013).
Conclusion:
Because of the low accessibility to the scene in MUAs, DMATs took a long time to initiate medical support . To provide adequate disaster medical support, the PHDRTs must be specialized and trained.

Key words: Disasters; Mass casualty incidents; Medical assistance; Medically underserved area; Disaster planning