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Disaster Exercises to Prepare Hospitals for Mass-Casualty Incidents : Does it Contribute to Preparedness or is it Ritualism?

Verheul, Marlous LMI ; Dückers, Michel LA ; Visser, Bea B. ; Beerens, Ralf JJ LU orcid and Bierens, Joost JLM (2018) In Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 33(4). p.387-393
Abstract

Introduction: The central question this study sought to answer was whether the team members of Strategic Crisis Teams (SCTs) participating in mass-casualty incident (MCI) exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation. Methods: Evaluation reports of exercises that took place at two different times were collected and analyzed against a theoretical model with several dimensions, looking at both the quality of the evaluation methodology (three criteria: objectives described, link between objective and items for improvement, and data-collection method) and the learning effect of the exercise (one criterion: the change in number of items for improvement). Results: Of all 32 evaluation reports, 81% described exercise objectives;... (More)

Introduction: The central question this study sought to answer was whether the team members of Strategic Crisis Teams (SCTs) participating in mass-casualty incident (MCI) exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation. Methods: Evaluation reports of exercises that took place at two different times were collected and analyzed against a theoretical model with several dimensions, looking at both the quality of the evaluation methodology (three criteria: objectives described, link between objective and items for improvement, and data-collection method) and the learning effect of the exercise (one criterion: the change in number of items for improvement). Results: Of all 32 evaluation reports, 81% described exercise objectives; 30% of the items for improvement in the reports were linked to these objectives, and 22% of the 32 evaluation reports used a structured template to describe the items for improvement. In six evaluation categories, the number of items for improvement increased between the first (T1) and the last (T2) evaluation report submitted by hospitals. The number of items remained equal for two evaluation categories and decreased in six evaluation categories. Conclusion: The evaluation reports do not support the ideal-typical disaster exercise process. The authors could not establish that team members participating in MCI exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation. More time and effort must be spent on the development of a validated evaluation system for these simulations, and more research into the role of the evaluator is needed. Verheul MLMI, Dückers MLA, Visser BB, Beerens RJJ, Bierens JJLM. Disaster exercises to prepare hospitals for mass-casualty incidents: does it contribute to preparedness or is it ritualism? Prehosp Disaster Med.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
hospital staff preparedness, mass-casualty incidents, professional education, simulation exercises
in
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
volume
33
issue
4
pages
387 - 393
publisher
World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine
external identifiers
  • pmid:30012238
  • scopus:85049980371
ISSN
1049-023X
DOI
10.1017/S1049023X18000584
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
142d297c-d63b-48f8-8d12-5f16254601c0
date added to LUP
2018-08-01 10:19:37
date last changed
2024-01-14 23:28:32
@article{142d297c-d63b-48f8-8d12-5f16254601c0,
  abstract     = {{<p>Introduction: The central question this study sought to answer was whether the team members of Strategic Crisis Teams (SCTs) participating in mass-casualty incident (MCI) exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation. Methods: Evaluation reports of exercises that took place at two different times were collected and analyzed against a theoretical model with several dimensions, looking at both the quality of the evaluation methodology (three criteria: objectives described, link between objective and items for improvement, and data-collection method) and the learning effect of the exercise (one criterion: the change in number of items for improvement). Results: Of all 32 evaluation reports, 81% described exercise objectives; 30% of the items for improvement in the reports were linked to these objectives, and 22% of the 32 evaluation reports used a structured template to describe the items for improvement. In six evaluation categories, the number of items for improvement increased between the first (T1) and the last (T2) evaluation report submitted by hospitals. The number of items remained equal for two evaluation categories and decreased in six evaluation categories. Conclusion: The evaluation reports do not support the ideal-typical disaster exercise process. The authors could not establish that team members participating in MCI exercises in the Netherlands learn from their participation. More time and effort must be spent on the development of a validated evaluation system for these simulations, and more research into the role of the evaluator is needed. Verheul MLMI, Dückers MLA, Visser BB, Beerens RJJ, Bierens JJLM. Disaster exercises to prepare hospitals for mass-casualty incidents: does it contribute to preparedness or is it ritualism? Prehosp Disaster Med.</p>}},
  author       = {{Verheul, Marlous LMI and Dückers, Michel LA and Visser, Bea B. and Beerens, Ralf JJ and Bierens, Joost JLM}},
  issn         = {{1049-023X}},
  keywords     = {{hospital staff preparedness; mass-casualty incidents; professional education; simulation exercises}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{387--393}},
  publisher    = {{World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine}},
  series       = {{Prehospital and Disaster Medicine}},
  title        = {{Disaster Exercises to Prepare Hospitals for Mass-Casualty Incidents : Does it Contribute to Preparedness or is it Ritualism?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X18000584}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S1049023X18000584}},
  volume       = {{33}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}