2. Analysis of Patient Satisfaction with One DMAT's Performance during Hurricane Andrew Relief Efforts

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the events that occurred on 1 July 1993 when a man entered a high-rise office tower in downtown San Francisco armed with semi-automatic handguns. Traveling through four floors of the 48-story building, the assailant shot 14 people before turning the gun on himself. Methods: Debriefings and interviews were performed with prehospital care providers, managers, dispatchers, trauma and emergency department physicians and staff, and police and fire personnel. Results: This multiple casualty incident (MCI) avoided the usual lack of central coordination that often impedes effective dispersal of victims to definitive care in a timely manner. However, communications problems secondary to radio reception voids as well as structural and logistical challenges related to the vertically oriented tactical situation were identified and reviewed. Conclusion: This event and its management provided a real-life test of the city's prehospital MCI plan as well as a test of the city's sole trauma center's and emergency department readiness to handle a MCI. The implications for prehospital disaster planning and trauma/emergency services was presented.

Nursing Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response

“…These teams included nearly 600 federal volunteer nurses, physicians, and support staff. They provided primary health care, emergency medical services, mental health services, and outreach to more than 17,000 patients (Burkholder-Allen, Rega, & Budd, 1994).…”