MDM4080 - Clinical Care in Mass Casualty Events

Leader(s): Professor Frank Archer

Offered

Alfred Hospital Second semester 2009 (Flexible)

Synopsis

This unit aims to promote the development of a broad and critical conceptual and practical understanding of clinical care in mass casualty situations. It will bridge the principles of clinical practice from "normal practice" to "the mass casualty situations" and also of clinical leadership in managing "the incident" and "normal business". The unit will identify the epidemiology of mass casualty incidents with an emphasis on the students' regional perspective and identify the scope of health issues which may result. An emergency preparedness and disaster health framework will be
used to identify the principles of preparedness, response and recovery from mass casualty incidents from the clinical perspective. Using this framework, and the literature and recent case studies, the unit will explore the requirements of clinicians participating in DMAT response teams and the elements expected of clinical leaders in the state health emergency response team. These principles will then be applied to developing competency in key clinical performance expected in mass casualty situations, including recognising differences in clinical care from normal practice. The unit will identify the clinical interface with the community and psycho-social issues in times of major events that threaten the health status of a community and will conclude with examining the implications of these principles for both community and responder education and identifying research opportunities in this field.

Objectives

By the completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the epidemiology of mass casualty incidents, from both the global and students' regional perspectives;
2. Identify the scope of health issues which may result from mass casualty incidents,

3. Using an emergency preparedness and disaster health framework, a risk assessment and management approach, and a multi-disciplinary perspective, list the principles of preparedness (pre-event), response/management (event) and recovery (post event) for mass casualty incidents, from the clinical perspective;
4. State the requirements expected of clinicians participating in DMAT response teams;
5. Using the State Health Emergency Response Plan, and the Incident Command System, review the structured approach to major incidents and examine clinical leadership within that plan, including maintenance of normal business during a major event;
6. Describe the principles of and adaptations to clinical practice required to for: triage; initial incident assessment; PPE and decontamination; forensic management, and care of the dead; and resource allocation, including patient disposition from the scene;
7. Identify differences in clinical care and the modification of clinical practice for effective management in mass casualty situations;
8. Recognise and identify the principles in addressing community and psycho-social issues associated with mass casualty incidents;

Assessment

Assignment (2,500 words)(45%)
Assignment (2,500 words)(55%)

Contact hours

On campus students:
Students are required to spend, on average, 12 hours per week on this unit across the semester (156 hours in total) working through self-directed learning materials, participating in tutorials through MUSO and in preparation of unit assessment tasks. Within this total, students are also required to attend a 3 day (24 hours) on-campus intensive.

Off campus students:
Students are required to spend, on average, 12 hours per week on this unit across the
semester (156 hours in total) working through self-directed learning materials, participating in tutorials through MUSO and in preparation of unit assessment tasks.

Prerequisites

MDM4010