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Patient-Data Collection System Used During Medical Operations After the 1994 San Fernando Valley-Northridge Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Ralph B. (Monty) Leonard ,
Lew W. Stringer  and
Roy Alson
Ralph B. (Monty) Leonard*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Lew W. Stringer
Affiliation:
Special Operations Response Team, Inc., Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Roy Alson
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
*
Department of Emergency Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157USA
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Abstract

Introduction:

In large disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, rapid, adequate and documented medical care and distribution of patients are essential.

Methods:

After a major (magnitude 6.7 Richter scale) earthquake occurred in Southern California, nine disaster medical assistance teams and two Veterans Administration (VA) buses with VA personnel responded to staff four medical stations, 19 disaster-assistance centers, and two mobile vans. All were under the supervision of the medical support unit (MSU) and its supervising officer. This article describes the patient-data collection system used. All facilities used the same patient encounter forms, log sheets, and medical treatment forms. Copies of these records accompanied the patients during every transfer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data classifications were used routinely. The MSU collected these forms twice each day so that all facilities had access to updated patient flow information.

Results:

Through the use of these methods, more than 11,000 victims were treated, transferred, and their cases tracked during a 12-day period.

Conclusions:

Use of this system by all federal responders to a major disaster area led to organized care for a large number of victims. Factors enhancing this care were the simplicity of the forms, the use of the forms by all federal responders, a central data collection point, and accessibility of the data at a known site available to all agencies every 12 hours.

Keywords

data collectiondisaster responsedisaster medical assistance teamsdisaster medicinedisaster victimsearthquakeSan Fernando Valley–Northridge earthquake
Type
Special Reports
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 3: CJ Shanaberger Memorial Issue , September 1995 , pp. 178 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1995

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