With almost two years having passed since the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, local hospitals are still attempting to learn from the tragic experience. To support that learning, over 40 organizations recently took part in a mass casualty drill, with more than 500 volunteers taking part as mock victims, according to MyNews13. Involving hospitals from Orange, Seminole, and Lake Counties, the exercises also included participants from Orlando Health, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the United States State Department.
Eric Alberts, corporate manager of emergency preparedness for Orlando Health highlighted a process developed as an outcome of the Pulse attack to improve patient identification. Speaking of the challenges of patient identification in a mass attack, Alberts observed, “We looked at the response at Pulse and we knew it was a big issue for us. It took all the way through until about 10 a.m. after Pulse for us to identify the last patient, reason being because of all of the medical conditions of that patient, not being able to speak, no birth marks, no tattoos. So that really highlighted the need for us to have a better, solidified process moving forward.” To address this issue, a web-based program designed to help staff catalogue and track incoming patients was developed.
A second process was also tested during the drill, to help in the distribution of information on foreign patients. Observed Brock McClane, an Orlando attorney and an Honorary Consul of Germany, “Everyone was so shocked, and there was so much law enforcement on the job that it was hard to get the information right away, even though there was acknowledgement that we need to have information at some point.” Under the new process, hospital staff will attempt to gain information about patients’ nationalities, which is then communicated to the U.S. State Department, who will distribute the information to the appropriate foreign government bureaus and agencies. Said McClane, “You can just feel the seconds ticking when you’re waiting to know, and you’re thinking of family members in Germany, or whatever country, and they’re waiting to know.”
Source:
http://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2018/04/13/orlando-health-finds-lessons-in-pulse-response
