Disaster metrics: a proposed quantitative model for benchmarking prehospital medical response in trauma-related multiple casualty events.

INTRODUCTION

Quantitative benchmarking of trauma-related prehospital response for Multiple Casualty Events (MCE) is complicated by major difficulties due to the simultaneous occurrences of multiple prehospital activities.

HYPOTHESIS/PROBLEM: Attempts to quantify the various components of prehospital medical response in MCE have fallen short of a comprehensive model. The objective of this study was to model the principal parameters necessary to quantitatively benchmark the prehospital medical response in trauma-related MCE.

METHODS

A two-step approach was adopted for the methodology of this study: an extensive literature search was performed, followed by prehospital system quantitative modeling. Studies on prehospital medical response to trauma injuries were used as the framework for the proposed model. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) triage categories (T1-T4) were used for the study.

RESULTS

Two parameters, the Injury to Patient Contact Interval (IPCI) and Injury to Hospital Interval (IHI), were identified and proposed as the principal determinants of the medical prehospital response in trauma-related MCE. IHI is the time interval from the occurrence of injury to the completion of transfer of care of critical (T1) and moderate (T2) patients. The IHI for each casualty is compared to the Maximum Time Allowed described in the literature (golden hour for T1 and Friedrich's time for T2). In addition, the medical rescue factor (R) was identified as the overall indicator for the prehospital medical performance for T1 and T2, and a numerical value of one (R = 1) was proposed to be the quantitative benchmark.

CONCLUSION

A new quantitative model for benchmarking prehospital response to MCE in trauma-related MCE is proposed. Prospective studies of this model are needed to validate its applicability.