The rapid evolution of technology has spurred diverse applications in medicine, including clinical decision support. Despite numerous studies validating the potential of AI-assisted clinical decision support (AI-CDS), the desired applications by Disaster Medicine clinicians remain unclear. This study aims to address this gap through consensus-building research with international disaster medicine experts.

Using the traditional Delphi method, an international panel of disaster medicine practitioners was assembled. An open-ended questionnaire in Round 1 elicited prospective consensus statements on AI-CDS applications. These responses were organized into consensus statements for subsequent rounds. A 7-point linear numeric scale was employed in Round 2 to rank the statements. Statements with a standard deviation of 1.0 or less were considered consensus. Results from Round 2 will be shared with each expert, and they will be asked to reconsider their ranking as part of Round 3. An interim analysis will be conducted to determine if a 4th round is necessary. Statements that pass the consensus cutoff in either rounds 3 or 4 will be included in the final analysis.

In Round 1, 539 statements were obtained from 77 participants (38% female; 62% male) across 47 countries representing all 7 World Bank Global Regions. Key concerns included triage, training, communication, mental health, organization, and disaster planning. These proposals were condensed into 47 statements for Round 2, with 56 participants completing their assessment so far. Statements scoring above 5.7 out of 7 highlighted AI support would be beneficial in estimating population at risk, disaster medicine training, resource coordination, HVA assistance, surge capacity, patient distribution, and enhancing culturally sensitive and multilingual communication.

This Delphi study highlights the varied and critical applications of AI-CDS desired by disaster medicine experts. The findings will provide a foundation for future research and innovation, aligning AI development with the priorities of disaster medicine practitioners.

Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents is a critical component of emergency medicine, particularly in high-risk geopolitical regions. However, little is known about CBRN readiness among healthcare providers in the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates. This study assessed the knowledge, experience, and training needs related to CBRN among emergency medicine staff at Rashid Hospital Trauma Center (RHTC), Dubai Health.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among emergency medicine physicians and residents at RHTC, Dubai Health. A self-administered questionnaire assessed knowledge, confidence, prior training, and institutional preparedness related to CBRN incidents. The study received IRB approval from both Dubai Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Out of 118 invited participants, 94 completed the survey (response rate: 82%). Only 39% had received formal CBRN training. While trained respondents demonstrated significantly higher knowledge scores (p < 0.01), overall confidence in managing CBRN events remained low. Awareness of institutional preparedness was limited, with over 70% unsure about their hospital’s decontamination or response plans. Most participants (90%) expressed interest in further CBRN training, particularly in mass casualty triage and toxidrome management.

The study highlighted knowledge and preparedness gaps among emergency medicine residents and emergency physicians at the Rashid Hospital trauma center. These findings highlight the urgent need for structured, hospital-based CBRN training programs and integration of preparedness protocols into routine emergency care systems in the UAE.

In July 2021, several European countries were affected by severe floods, with water levels of the river Meuse reaching a record high. It was decided to completely evacuate VieCuri Medical Center (Venlo, the Netherlands), a hospital directly adjacent to this river. This study aimed to explore the decision-making process of this emergency hospital evacuation.

This interview-based qualitative study assessed the decision-making process for this hospital evacuation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eleven key participants and analyzed according to the principles of thematic content analysis.

Three themes were constructed from the interviews: risk assessment, COVID-19 experience, and collaboration. The hospital’s preparedness for evacuation could be improved by thoroughly analyzing locoregional hazards and preparing for loss of regional healthcare capacity. The use of a national patient coordination center, which was established during the pandemic, enabled the rapid assessment of the capacity of destination hospitals and facilitated patient transfers.

The experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the availability of a national patient coordination center were key factors in performing this evacuation. Hospitals should regularly assess potential contingencies and plan for (locoregional) loss of health care services.

Emergencies can disrupt infant feeding patterns, compromising maternal-infant nutritional access. However, even in times of crisis, breast milk is the most secure source of nourishment for infants. In crises, milk banks may serve as alternative nutrition sources. This study examines policy modifications during a crisis.

This case study analyzes the policies of the Ministry of Health and National Milk Bank on breast milk donation in Israel. It compares both the recipient criteria and donor criteria before and after October 7, 2023, when the war began.

On October 9, 2023, the Ministry of Health published an emergency “Guidelines for breast milk donations” expanding eligibility for receiving breast milk. In addition to the routine eligibility of premature infants (< 32 weeks gestation and/or < 1.5 kg), breast milk will also be available to:

1. Infants ≤6 months: maternal absence due to crisis (injury, abduction, or death)

2. Infants ≤6 months: maternal military recruitment

3. Infants 6-12 months: maternal absence/recruitment, formula intolerance (due to allergy or other)

4. War-injured infants ≤12 months: recovery requirement

5. Any medical condition requiring breast milk, such as an oncological condition, based on a document from a medical expert.

Regarding the ability to donate breast milk, the only change found was the removal of the criterion for using breast pumps from certain models.

The Israeli Ministry of Health and the National Milk Bank implemented significant policy revisions during the war’s initial phase, primarily updating and expanding the criteria for receiving breast milk to include maternal conditions and address unique wartime circumstances, while donor eligibility criteria remained largely unaltered. In light of ongoing crises and the controlled availability of breast milk, a re-evaluation of milk donation policies is necessary. Easing donor criteria could potentially extend optimal nutrition access to more infants.

First responders are regularly exposed to high-stress situations, traumatic events, and life-threatening environments. The constant barrage of intense scenarios and critical incidents, along with chronic stressors of the job, places them at risk for burnout and the development of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Stigma plays an important role in responders’ willingness to access mental health care. The Mental Health Needs Assessment (MHNA) explores issues related to mental health and stigma among first responders in New York State (NYS).

The MHNA is based on a representative, statewide web survey and qualitative focus groups. The sampling frame included first responder occupations across NYS. The final sample is 6,003.

This analysis will use Logistic Regression analysis to explore the relationship between stigma and mental health conditions, such as PTSD. We hypothesize that higher levels of stigma are related to a larger gap between perceptions of self and the field as a whole.

Initial MHNA analysis included descriptive reports of the impacts of first responder work on mental health and the barriers to seeking care. Descriptive statistics show that stigma is a barrier to seeking mental health care for more than 80 percent of the first responder population. Descriptive statistics also show a discrepancy between first responders’ reports of mental health conditions (i.e., depression or PTSD) for their field and themselves; first responders report higher incidents of mental health conditions in the field than for themselves.

We will test the relationship between stigma-related barriers to seeking mental health care and the gap between the perception of need for the field and self.

Addressing stigma as a barrier to mental health care among first responders is essential to increasing access to services. In this tabletop presentation, we will present our findings and facilitate a discussion to generate potential solutions.

The evacuation of patients in mass casualty incidents is an important part of emergency management. The appropriateness of evacuation strategies determines whether the patients can receive adequate treatment in time. Real-world evacuation cannot be re-performed, but models of evacuation can be constructed through computer simulation. Thus, the different evacuation strategies can be compared in simulations.

There are some important factors in the evacuation strategy: the number and distance of hospitals, the capacity of hospitals, and the number of vehicles. In this study, past mass casualty incidents are used as reference sources for the patient data. The evacuation processes are simulated with well-established software, and the rules are modified according to different strategies. Several strategies with different settings are compared in the results of the patient treatment, and the influence and the weight of different parameters are analyzed.

From the comparison of different strategies, the strategy with the shortest time from the scene to the hospital has the larger number of hospitals, a higher hospital capacity, and vehicles for transportation are sufficient. In addition, adding faraway hospitals as evacuation options when vehicles are limited will not reduce the time it takes for patients to arrive at the hospitals.

The appropriate decision of evacuation strategy can help patients get proper treatment as soon as possible. In the case of limited resources, different evacuation parameters will have different weights in the outcomes. Computer simulations are ideal for analyzing such complex situations that cannot be reproduced in reality.

The contemporary management of mass casualty incidents (MCIs) relies on the effective application of dedicated response plans based on current best evidence. There is limited evidence regarding the factors influencing the accuracy of first responders (FRs) in applying the START protocol and the associated prehospital times during the response to MCIs. The study aims to investigate factors affecting FRs’ accuracy in performing prehospital triage in a series of simulated mass casualty exercises. Secondly, factors affecting triage-to-scene exit time were assessed.

This retrospective study focused on simulated casualties in a series of simulated MCIs Full Scale Exercises. START triage was the triage method of choice. For each Full-Scale Exercise (FSEx), collected data included exercise and casualty-related information, simulated vital parameters, simulated anatomic lesions, scenario management times, and responder experience.

Among the 1090 casualties included, 912 (83.6%) were correctly triaged, 137 (12.6%) were overtriaged, and 41 (3.7%) were undertriaged. The multinomial regression model indicated that increasing HR (RRR = 1.012, p = 0.008), H-AIS (RRR = 1.532, p < 0.001), thorax AIS (RRR = 1.344, p = 0.007), and lower ISS (RRR = 0.957, p = 0.042) were independently associated with overtriage. Undertriage was significantly associated with increasing SBP (RRR = 1.013, p = 0.005), AVPU class (RRR = 3.104 per class increase), and A-AIS (RRR = 1.290, p = 0.035). The assigned red code (TR = 0.841, p = 0.002), expert providers (TR = 0.909, p = 0.015), and higher SPO2 (TR = 0.998, p < 0.001) were associated with a reduction in triage-to-scene departure time. Conversely, increasing ISS was associated with a longer triage-to-scene departure time (TR = 1.004, 0.017).

Understanding the predictors influencing triage and scene management decision-making by healthcare professionals responding to MCIs may facilitate the development of tailored training pathways regarding mass casualty triage and scene management.

The widespread availability of handheld point-of-care ultrasound systems (HHUS) has rapidly increased the number of preclinical emergency medicine ultrasound examinations in Germany. HHUS used by emergency physicians at the Southside Festival (SSF) in southern Germany was evaluated over several years according to its feasibility and ability to change patients’ disposition and treatment process.

By questionnaire, the doctors performing the examination were asked about the indication, the body region examined, the ultrasound protocol used, if any, the duration of the examination, and any changes in the further procedure. In addition, the subjective assessment of the accessibility, the visualization under the existing lighting, and the ultrasound experience of the users were surveyed.

In three years, a total of 29 ultrasound examinations were assessed by the sonographers. The majority of examined regions were the abdomen (55.2%). 27.6% used the (e)FAST protocol; no protocol was used in 41.4%. Indications: 31.0% pain, 20.7% trauma, 27.6% examiner’s interest, 24.1% confirmation of suspected diagnosis, 3.4% as part of CPR. Duration: examination 41.4% <2 min, 41.4% 2-5 min. In 20.7%, the procedure was changed due to the examination. Accessibility and visualization were rated 2 (1 very good - 6 poor). Half of the users considered themselves experienced.

Ultrasound examinations under medical service conditions at an MGE were feasible and accessible. The majority of examinations concerned the abdomen. US protocols were only used in half of the cases. The duration of the examination was usually less than 5 minutes, and the procedure was changed further by the examination in 20.6% of cases. Since there is supposed to be a large amount of extremities trauma in festival visitors, this percentage might be even higher when (in fracture and joint ultrasound) trained emergency physicians are in charge. Data collection will continue.

Disaster management is an ongoing planning process aimed at reducing uncertainty and mitigating hazards in dangerous situations. The disaster cycle is divided into four interdependent phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Although mitigation is the most crucial, given the frequent disasters in Eastern Taiwan in recent years, there has been increased emphasis on preparedness. Training exercises have been implemented to improve response capabilities and reduce casualties in actual disaster scenarios.

On October 15, 2024, a disaster medical team drill was held in Taitung, simulating a shallow 7.0-magnitude earthquake in a mountainous region. Medical teams, formed by two distinct teams, mainly managed trauma cases.

This prospective observational study had a mild-to-severe injury ratio of 5:3:2. Patients were assigned to either Station A, staffed by advanced emergency medical technicians (EMTs), or Station B, staffed by hospital nurses. Both groups had completed START triage and disaster medical training. Each triaged the 30 patients, and accuracy rates were compared across roles.

Statistical analysis revealed that Station A handled 22 patients with an accuracy of 68.2%, whereas Station B handled 26 patients with an accuracy of 57.7%.

Although literature suggests that healthcare personnel generally have higher triage accuracy than EMTs, EMTs perform triage faster, making them better suited for rapid disaster response. In this study, EMTs showed higher accuracy than nurses, potentially due to EMTs’ frequent training in START, unlike nurses, who typically use a five-level triage system. Thus, it is recommended that EMTs lead triage in disaster scenarios.

In response to the Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1, 2024, Welfare Evacuation Centers were established in Ishikawa Prefecture. These shelters are intended to provide temporary refuge and support for individuals requiring physical and psychological care. During this time, we experienced two cases of end-of-life care within the shelter. These cases highlight the practice of end-of-life care in a welfare shelter, a setting that is far from ideal in terms of both medical resources and personnel. One case demonstrated the possibility of providing an acceptable standard of care, while the other revealed various limitations imposed by the hastily assembled system. The successful integration of external volunteers and careful communication with evacuees contributed to the overall success of end-of-life care in the shelter. These experiences suggest the necessity of implementing external support systems to assist on-site medical personnel during disasters. In Japan, where disasters occur frequently, it is crucial to establish unified guidelines for end-of-life care and conduct regular scenario-based training.

Disasters are increasing globally in both frequency and severity. Rural and remote areas are often exposed to disasters, with significantly reduced resources and health infrastructure. Nurses play an important role in assisting in and responding to disasters. However, in rural and remote areas, there is limited literature describing nurses’ roles or experiences during these events. The aim of this study was to explore what it is like for rural and remote nurses when assisting in disasters using a phenomenological approach.

Sixteen nurses from rural or remote Australia were interviewed about their experiences of assisting in a disaster event. A phenomenological approach underpinned the study with interpretive analysis of the existential lifeworlds of participants, used to further explore moments of assisting in a disaster.

The existentials of time, relation, space, and body provided a framework to further explore and analyze how certain moments in disasters were experienced by participants. Through the existential lifeworlds, it illuminated how prioritising time in disasters is key, but limited resources in rural and remote areas complicate this process. Nurses in rural and remote locations work across many settings and environments that expose them to specific risks and stressors. Community relations were significant and affected what nurses did, both positively and negatively. Supporting nurses’ psychological and well-being needs after events is important; however, it is still poorly done and can result in nurses leaving the profession or moving on.

Rural and remote nurses play a significant role in disaster response. The new insights into what this experience was like for these nurses highlight the nuances that exist for nurses across broad geographical areas and disaster subtypes. This study provides in-depth insights into what these nurses experienced, increasing disaster awareness, and creating new avenues for further research.

The WHO EMT Minimum Standards emphasize the importance of collecting and assessing information, integrating and analyzing data to formulate response strategies, sharing information with relevant organizations, and documenting and reporting activities in detail. Japan DMAT Information Management during disasters involves collecting, consolidating, evaluating, and analyzing information to determine action plans. This study examined the effectiveness of digitalized information management among the Japanese DMAT to enhance the efficiency of information collection and analysis compared to traditional methods.

The Japan DMAT training course, past Japan DMAT national exercise and regional exercise, and 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake DMAT responding activities are reviewed. A comparison was conducted between traditional handwritten information processing and its digitalized counterpart based on eight criteria: accuracy of record keeping, searchability, ease of sharing, efficiency of storage and preservation, flexibility in editing and updating, portability, ease of analysis and statistical processing, and security.

The digitalization of information brought numerous benefits to Japan’s DMAT operations. This initiative enhanced data accessibility, facilitated smoother communication, and improved overall operational performance, contributing to more effective information management.

The digitalization of information has demonstrated its efficacy by mitigating information overload, ensuring swift access to critical data, and enabling the comparison of historical and real-time information. These strengths contribute to the expedited development of action plans and significantly enhance overall operational effectiveness.

The occurrence of crush syndrome (CS) during large-scale disasters, such as the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, has demonstrated the critical need for a well-structured response system to improve survival rates. CS often leads to severe complications like acute kidney injury, necessitating immediate and coordinated medical intervention. Proper rescue, rear-area transport, and multidisciplinary hospital treatment must be ensured from the onset of a disaster. Furthermore, a unified response across multiple agencies, including healthcare professionals, emergency services, and international support organizations, is vital to ensure the efficient management of CS cases.

Our Research Group, under the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, conducted a comprehensive analysis of CS occurrence in past disasters. This included evaluating on-site response protocols, standardizing treatment procedures (such as dialysis), and reviewing surgical interventions. The committee established within the academic society focused on accumulating case data, preserving historical knowledge, understanding international standards, and sharing new findings through educational activities. Research was also conducted on the effectiveness of various treatment modalities, such as early blood purification therapies.

Several key issues were identified: the need for a consistent severity classification system for CS patients, the revision of long-distance transport protocols, and a reassessment of the Crush Injury Cocktail. Additionally, the utility of decompressive fasciotomy, amputation, and the timing of early blood purification therapies were evaluated. Based on research, updated guidelines for long-distance transport and comprehensive treatment, incorporating both intensive care and surgical intervention, were proposed. Knowledge sharing was expanded through international collaborations and participation in global working groups.

Future efforts will focus on strengthening interagency and international collaborations, along with proactive academic and public education initiatives. Comprehensive investigations of CS cases from recent disasters, such as the Noto and Kumamoto earthquakes, will be conducted to further enhance disaster preparedness and response strategies.

The complexity of society can cause cascading events during disasters. To minimise this effect, a multisectoral approach is essential. The Public Health System Resilience Scorecard, developed by a group of partners including the UNDRR and WHO, was utilized to highlight those challenges in prior studies. The Scorecard workshops were organized in two earthquake-affected provinces in 2023. While the Scorecard helps to evaluate the public healthcare system through a consultative and collective approach, the experience of individual participants remains unknown.

This study employed a qualitative approach to capture the workshop participants’ understanding and experience in utilizing the scorecard. The workshop participants were interviewed before and post the workshop. A semi structured interview guideline was utilized. The data was transcribed in Turkish, then translated into English.

Researchers analyzed the outputs using qualitative software; validation of data was carried out. To capture an overview, keywords such as disaster scenario/plan, preparedness of vulnerable population were counted to better understand and explain the findings from the data.

From the interview of 12 participants, seven themes emerged: Enhancing structural disaster resilience; Increasing disaster governance with multisectoral collaboration; Community resilience to disasters; Disaster resilience in relation to public health services; Understanding of the meaning of disaster resilience; Needs of taking actions against disasters; Scorecard utilization experience and meaning. When comparing the pre- and post-workshop responses, the words mentioned more frequently by the participants were increasing mental health service capacity, preparing vulnerable populations for disasters, and creating backup energy sources.

This study investigated the participants’ experience in utilizing the Scorecard. Qualitative data indicated that utilization of the Scorecard is not limited to measuring elements of a resilient public healthcare system but also provides opportunities for the participants to reflect on their experience and articulate the actions to be taken, especially in the post-disaster phase.

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have become ubiquitous in Emergency Departments (EDs), particularly after the passing of the Meaningful Use Act in 2009. While they offer numerous advantages, they are susceptible to downtime, necessitating a return to paper-based systems. These downtime periods will likely disrupt workflow and patient care, highlighting the importance of effective training and preparation for downtime proceedings.

Preparation for these procedures can be particularly challenging, especially for those with limited experience in paper-based systems. Experienced clinicians, particularly those who practiced medicine before the widespread adoption of EMRs, can play a crucial role in training their colleagues and starting downtime procedures during unexpected interruptions in electronic systems.

During the 2024 CrowdStrike outage, the emergency department experienced an EMR outage spanning two clinical shifts, beginning at approximately 3:09 AM. Faculty interviews were performed as part of the after-action report for this prolonged outage. Post-outage debriefings revealed that overnight staff, many of whom (five out of six attendings) had limited to no clinical experience prior to 2009, struggled with downtime workflows. In contrast, the 7 AM shift, staffed by four attendings with pre-2009 clinical experience, navigated the outage more effectively and with less stress. It was also reported that the experienced overnight Charge-Nurse (with more than 20 years of experience) had critical knowledge of implementing paper downtime procedures and helped guide the overnight staff through the CrowdStrike outage.

This highlights the importance of having experienced clinicians across all shifts to significantly improve downtime operations and facilitate just-in-time training for less experienced staff. As operations rely more heavily on EMRs, maintaining a robust approach to downtime preparedness is essential. By leveraging the expertise of experienced clinicians, healthcare organizations can effectively train their staff, optimize workflow, and ensure patient safety during system outages, which are both scheduled and unplanned.

Healthcare workers, including paramedics, are at high risk of occupational hazards such as physical, biological, chemical, and mechanical dangers. The US Department of Labor reports an occupational injury rate of 16.8% in healthcare, compared to 4.8% in other industries, making healthcare professionals twice as likely to suffer work related illnesses or injuries. Assessing Emergency Medical Services(EMS) students’ awareness of these risks is critical, yet research in this area remains limited. This study evaluates the awareness of occupational hazards among EMS students in the Makkah region, Saudi Arabia, and examines how this awareness influences their understanding of health and safety practices.

A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among EMS students from three universities in Makkah. Awareness of occupational hazards was assessed using a structured questionnaire based on three validated studies evaluating knowledge of hazards, safety measures, and sources of information.

The response rate was 102% of the sample size. Results showed varying levels of awareness regarding occupational hazards. Chemical hazards were the most recognized, identified by 78% of students, while mechanical hazards were less known (32%), and ergonomic hazards were the least understood (20%). Most students encountered aggressive patients 1-3 times annually. Media was the primary information source for 26.7% of respondents, indicating gaps in formal education.

This study highlights the current state of occupational hazard awareness among EMS students in the Makkah region. While students show relatively high awareness of safety measures, their reliance on media underscores the need for improved educational programs. Additionally, frequent encounters with aggressive patients emphasize the importance of incorporating de-escalation techniques into EMS training.

The development of a stretcher for transporting individuals with mobility difficulties or bedridden patients down stairs during elevator stoppages caused by earthquakes or fires is an urgent task. This time, performance tests of the prototype were conducted, and the results of these tests will be reported. To clarify the effectiveness of the developed stretcher by comparing it with other transport methods.

Comparative transport experiments were conducted using the prototype stretcher, a tarpaulin stretcher, and an air stretcher.

Transport experiments were conducted over a distance of 92.6 meters from the hallway on the 5th floor of a building to the lobby on the 1st floor. To transport one person, the prototype required one transporter, the tarpaulin stretcher required three transporters, and the air stretcher required two transporters. The transport time was shortest with the tarpaulin stretcher, followed by the air stretcher and the prototype. In addition, only the prototype was able to provide side space for others to evacuate the staircase during the descent experiment. Furthermore, the prototype machine showed the least change in the heart rate of the person being transported.

The experiment results showed that the prototype could be operated by a single transporter, whereas other methods required multiple transporters. Although the speed was slower than other methods due to the difference in the number of transporters, it was faster than the average walking speed of elderly individuals. Moreover, the prototype ensured space for evacuees to pass during the descent. Additionally, the prototype imposed the least burden on the transported person.

On January 1, 2024, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The earthquake recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 7 and a tsunami height of 5 meters, causing extensive damage across various areas. In response, the government, through relevant agencies, arranged and deployed mobile medical containers for medical support. However, determining the locations for these containers proved to be extremely challenging. This study identifies the factors and challenges in the location selection process and examines a pre-designated site selection system as a solution.

To organize and examine the “Report on the Deployment and Operation Status of Medical Containers during the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake” by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Koido Research Group and the National Resilience Promotion Office, and field survey results.

During the Noto Peninsula earthquake, selecting locations for medical containers required understanding the medical needs of the affected areas, identifying candidate sites, and meeting installation conditions, including area, ground strength, ground conditions, access routes, and road conditions. These tasks were not only extremely challenging but also time-consuming, leading to discrepancies with the actual needs, which became a significant issue.

Based on this experience, it is desirable to pre-select and database potential sites and transport routes for mobile medical containers during normal times, utilizing GIS to visualize this information, in preparation for large-scale disasters such as the anticipated Nankai Trough megaquake.

On August 5, 2023, the impact of Typhoon Khanun in Ren’ai Township, Nantou County, central Taiwan, led to significant disaster situations. The New Taipei City Search and Rescue (SAR) Team was deployed to assist, working alongside the national SAR team and the local SAR teams from Nantou County and Taichung City Fire Departments for three days. This article explores the use of coordinated communication by the New Taipei SAR Team during the disaster relief efforts, aiming to enhance future rescue directions and strategies.

Coordinated communication is the process of utilizing various organizational resources to enable a group of individuals or teams with a common goal to work together more effectively and efficiently. The emergency response structure is organized hierarchically from top to bottom, including the Local Emergency Management Authority (LEMA), the Coordination Center, SAR teams, and rescuers. The flow of information between these levels consists of a downward path where higher-level units formulate and confirm plans before briefing lower levels, and an upward path where frontline units receive tasks, collect firsthand data on-site, analyze it, and report back to higher levels. This cycle of information flow continues until the mission is concluded.

The smooth operation of this communication model is facilitated by a network of diverse communication channels and equipment, including regular meetings or face-to-face discussions, the use of computers and wireless networks, radios, smartphones, messaging apps, or email. Regardless of the chosen methods, having multiple communication channels is crucial for disaster response.

In summary, the experience of the New Taipei SAR Team during this rescue mission underscores the importance of coordinated communication in disaster response, providing valuable insights for future strategies to enhance rescue collaboration and resource utilization.

Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) are expected in war zones, making the readiness of healthcare teams and facilities crucial for shaping outcomes. This study investigates the preparedness of emergency staff in Shendi, Sudan, to respond to MCIs amidst ongoing conflict.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 77 healthcare professionals at a teaching hospital in a borderline conflict zone, including nurses, house officers, medical officers, and registrars. The survey assessed factors such as demographic characteristics, training and preparedness, perceived preparedness, psychological preparedness, communication efficiency, inter-team coordination, and suggestions for improvement. Data were analyzed using SPSS to identify correlations in MCI preparedness.

The mean age of the participants was 27 years (± 5.8), and the majority were female (80.5%). Nurses comprised the largest group (46.8%), and most participants had less than three years of experience (87.1%). Only 36 participants (46.8%) had formal MCI training, and 58.4% of all participants deemed the training inadequate. Confidence varied significantly between roles, with nurses and registrars feeling more prepared than house officers (p = 0.001). Equipment preparedness was low, with only 13% of participants feeling adequately equipped. Although 57.1% were aware of MCI protocols, only 40.3% found them effective. Key challenges included inadequate training resources, poor coordination, and high patient volume. Psychological preparedness was lacking in 66.2% of respondents. Communication was more effective during MCIs (66.2%) than during regular operations (39%). Participation in training was associated with higher confidence (p < 0.05).

The study revealed significant deficiencies in training and preparedness for mass casualty incidents. Addressing gaps in training, resource allocation, and equipment readiness is essential for improving emergency response capabilities and enhancing patient outcomes in conflict zones.