Major incident patient evacuation: full-scale field exercise feasibility study.
Air Medical Journal · 2011-01-01 · Quasi-experimental
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Major incident management relies on efficient patient transportation. In the absence of a standardized, field-friendly approach to multiple casualty management, the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation developed Optimal Patient Evacuation Norway (OPEN). OPEN aims to save time, improve patient handling, prevent hypothermia, and simplify scene management. We evaluated the feasibility of the OPEN concept in full-scale major incident field exercises. METHODS: Emergency service personnel participated in two standardized bus crash field exercises, without and with access to OPEN. The instructors timed completion of patient evacuation, and the students participated in a self-report before and after study. Each question was scored on a 7-point Likert scale, with points labeled "Did not work" (1) through "Worked excellently" (7). RESULTS: Among the 93 study participants, 31% confirmed that stretchers could be available at the scene within 30 minutes in their catchment area. The students reported improved interdisciplinary cooperation for patient evacuation after the course (mean, 5.8, with 95% CI 5.7-6.0 after vs. 5.4 with 95% CI 5.2-5.6 before, P < .001). CONCLUSION: OPEN is a feasible and time-efficient way to standardize patient transport and may serve as a candidate for a future national standard for major incident patient evacuation.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Helicopter & air ambulance · Patient handling equipment · Teamwork & human factors · Time intervals
Related articles
- Vertical evacuation simulation of critically ill patients in a hospital. (Prehosp Disaster Med, 2005)
- FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM stadium patient evacuation: A system testing simulation-based exercise. (Qatar Med J, 2023)
- [Terrorist attack training exercise-What can be learned? : Baden-Württemberg counterterrorism exercise (BWTEX)]. (Anaesthesist, 2020)
- Regional variation in critical care evacuation needs for children after a mass casualty incident. (Disaster Med Public Health Prep, 2012)
- Prehospital management and hospital outcomes of severely injured patients during routine civilian mass casualty incidents: a 1:4 matched cohort analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU®. (BMC Emerg Med, 2026)
- Reconsidering policy of casualty evacuation in a remote mass-casualty incident. (Prehosp Disaster Med, 2014)