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Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology)  2014, Vol. 15 Issue (12): 1072-1080    DOI: 10.1631/jzus.B1400225
Articles     
Development of the science of mass casualty incident management: reflection on the medical response to the Wenchuan earthquake and Hangzhou bus fire
Wei-feng Shen, Li-bing Jiang, Guan-yu Jiang, Mao Zhang, Yue-feng Ma, Xiao-jun He
Department of Emergency Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
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Abstract  Objective: In this paper, we review the previous classic research paradigms of a mass casualty incident (MCI) systematically and reflect the medical response to the Wenchuan earthquake and Hangzhou bus fire, in order to outline and develop an improved research paradigm for MCI management. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, China Wanfang, and China Biology Medicine (CBM) databases for relevant studies. The following key words and medical subject headings were used: ‘mass casualty incident’, ‘MCI’, ‘research method’, ‘Wenchuan’, ‘earthquake’, ‘research paradigm’, ‘science of surge’, ‘surge’, ‘surge capacity’, and ‘vulnerability’. Searches were performed without year or language restriction. After searching the four literature databases using the above listed key words and medical subject headings, related articles containing research paradigms of MCI, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, July 5 bus fire, and science of surge and vulnerability were independently included by two authors. Results: The current progresses on MCI management include new golden hour, damage control philosophy, chain of survival, and three links theory. In addition, there are three evaluation methods (medical severity index (MSI), potential injury creating event (PICE) classification, and disaster severity scale (DSS)), which can dynamically assess the MCI situations and decisions for MCI responses and can be made based on the results of such evaluations. However, the three methods only offer a retrospective evaluation of MCI and thus fail to develop a real-time assessment of MCI responses. Therefore, they cannot be used as practical guidance for decision-making during MCI. Although the theory of surge science has made great improvements, we found that a very important factor has been ignored—vulnerability, based on reflecting on the MCI response to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and July 5 bus fire in Hangzhou. Conclusions: This new paradigm breaks through the limitation of traditional research paradigms and will contribute to the development of a methodology for disaster research.

Key wordsMass casualty incident      Surge      Vulnerability      Earthquake      Fire incident     
Received: 11 August 2014      Published: 03 December 2014
CLC:  R129  
Cite this article:

Wei-feng Shen, Li-bing Jiang, Guan-yu Jiang, Mao Zhang, Yue-feng Ma, Xiao-jun He. Development of the science of mass casualty incident management: reflection on the medical response to the Wenchuan earthquake and Hangzhou bus fire. Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2014, 15(12): 1072-1080.

URL:

http://www.zjujournals.com/xueshu/zjus-b/10.1631/jzus.B1400225     OR     http://www.zjujournals.com/xueshu/zjus-b/Y2014/V15/I12/1072

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