The Capability of Emergency Departments and Emergency Medical Systems in the United States to Respond to Mass Casualty Events Resulting from Terrorist Attacks

Author: Hoffman, Bruce

Source: Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 32, Number 1, January 2009 , pp. 60-71(12)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Despite the potential array of atypical medical contingencies that the U.S. health system could face if confronted with mass-casualty events (MCE) resulting from terrorist attacks using conventional explosives, American hospitals are neither sufficiently funded nor prepared to effectively respond to such potentialities. Historically, the bias in most MCE planning has been toward the worst case scenarios, often entailing weapons of mass destruction (such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons), on the assumption that any other MCEs, including those where conventional explosions are used, can simply be addressed as a lesser-included contingency. Yet, MCEs present unique medical challenges that to date the United States has mercifully rarely experienced but nonetheless must be prepared for.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10576100802564097

Affiliations: 1: Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

Publication date: 2009-01-01

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