Planning and care in multiple casualty crashes?

• Legislative framework for pre-hospital care
• Medical control and direction of pre-hospital care
• Pre-hospital medical care
• What type of treatment?
• Which hospital? The importance of field triage
• Who should deliver the pre-hospital care?

Planning and care in multiple casualty crashes?

Major road crashes which involve multiple casualties. Contributory factors include fog and excess speed [7]. Large numbers of injured persons may also result from collisions involving buses or lorries carrying explosive, toxic or inflammable chemical products. A disaster planning document is needed to strengthen the capacity of local and regional governments, health-care providers and public health organizations to react to such events [50]. Best practice indicates that a region-wide trauma team is the optimal means of dealing with such events utilising such a disaster plan. Post impact care is coordinated by hospital-based medical teams who are trained in disaster management and in collaboration with the ambulance, police and the fire service. Efficient rescue involves on-site triage and immediate care, evacuation and hospital admission [7] .