Content area
Full text
A mass casualty incident (MCI) is an event that overwhelms the local health care system, with the number of casualties quickly exceeding resources. Limited research exists on pediatric MCIs specifically. Proper emergency response planning for an MCI ensures that resources are allocated appropriately and efficiently. Planning for an MCI for pediatric patients is essential because of high-mortality events such as school shootings, school transportation accidents, and natural disasters (Costa et al., 2021). Planning for a pediatric MCI is complicated by the complex needs specific to the population, including family reunification; appropriate communication with family members, the media, and school systems; and the identification of victims (Costa et al., 2021). Tabletop simulation has proven to be a helpful tool in planning for MCIs (Moss & Gaarder, 2022). It is a low-cost, highly effective exercise designed to help facilitate discussion and appropriate allocation of resources (Moss & Gaarder, 2022).
The simulation approach in the study was enhanced by using paper patients, escalating scenarios, and remote communication. The Jump-START Pediatric Triage MCI tool is used to triage pediatric patients in an MCI scenario (Tan et al., 2023). Literature has shown that the Jump-START system is a highly effective way to triage pediatric patients (Cicero et al., 2016). It categorizes patients into four treatment categories: expectant (black), delayed (yellow), immediate (red), and minor (green) (Cicero et al., 2016). This system was implemented during the simulation and was applied to paper pediatric patients. In addition to using various forms of technology, the simulation event focused on the coordination of an interdisciplinary team, a vital aspect of a mass casualty response (Costa et al., 2021). The simulation we developed to identify gaps in knowledge also created the opportunity for an academic-practice partnership, fostering collaboration among undergraduate nursing students, nursing faculty, and hospital staff. This study provided an opportunity for staff and students to triage pediatric patients appropriately, improve interdisciplinary communication among roles, and create a plan to effectively mobilize resources for an MCI.
Method
Sample
Simulation participants included students, faculty, emergency room triage nurses, an emergency department (ED) manager, physicians, administrators, the director of trauma services for the hospital, and clinical nurse specialists from the...