Emergency Healthcare Protocols
In the 21st century, the world has experienced a rising level of threat from terrorist organizations. Global security landscape has undergone major transformations since the attacks on the United States of America in September, 2001, and Boston Marathon bombing became a manifestation of the new reality. The event has provided valuable lessons for response units in airports, highlighting, for example, the significance of proper tourniquets. The most important conclusion includes the definitive role of hemorrhage control, as this principle saves countless lives of massive attack victims. In this scenario, healthcare organizations should remain prepared in order to organize a quick, yet effective response by analyzing prior events (Goralnick et al., 2017). Importntly, speed is a matter of paramount importance in such situations. The quick response in Boston was a result of multiple training sessions, which means that airport services should implement a similar program to remain prepared. In addition, as airport facilities are usually away from cities, rapid transportation routes can be established for emergency services.
Communication is another pillar of effective response in case of emergency. A very high-frequency radio system allows services to notify all hospitals in the area, if there is an attack. Such a network was effectively used during the Boston incident along with automatic notifications and ring-down phones. Overall, prior response planning mostly consisted of drill and exercises, allowing the units to stay in shape and become familiar with the potential threat beforehand. Triennial airport exercises would be a valuable experience for all services involved in the mass casualty event response. They will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the response protocols, thus preventing negative outcomes in the case of an actual attack. Preparedness is vital, which is why any relevant exercise pointed at mass casualty events is highly valuable. However, it is likely that units will benefit from an increased frequency of such drills, as it would ensure continuous development of teams’ relevant skills.
Reference
Goralnick, E., Van Trimpont, F., & Carli, P. (2017). Preparing for the next terrorism attack: Lessons from Paris, Brussels, and Boston. JAMA Surgery, 152(2), 419–420. Web.