Assessment of the readiness of the medical and preventive facility for actions in an extraordinary situation of a military character with combined radiation injury to the population

Abstract

Background. In emergency situations of a military nature, medical institutions at all levels, especially specialized (radiological) medical facilities, are tasked with providing qualified assistance to the affected population. The effectiveness of these measures depends not only on the promptness, equipment, and training of operational teams but also on adherence to radiation safety standards, which differ from peacetime norms in terms of the scale of combined radiation injuries, injury criteria, and the methods of implementing measures. At the same time, against the backdrop of the multi-criteria uncertainty of possible radiological scenarios, there is no scientific justification for the necessary connections between the features of radiation safety and specific organizational and technical tasks within the system of overall readiness of medical institutions. Purpose – scientifically justify the potential readiness of a medical institution to act during a special period to provide qualified assistance to the population with combined radiation injuries, based on a systematic analysis of the features of the radiation safety system during military emergencies. Materials and Methods. In this paper, an attempt is made to assess the readiness of a medical and preventive institution to take action in emergency situations of a military nature by applying the method of analysis of hierarchies by T. Saati, adapted for the relevant tasks. Results. The conducted analysis of generalized weight coefficients and priorities in percentages (%) for each element of the hierarchical structure (Fig. 3) shows that more than 50% of «actions» are related to the effective provision of personnel safety and the effective delivery of medical care («Dia-1» and «Dia-2»). These components should receive key attention in the practical training of healthcare facility personnel and involved individuals through special training for emergency actions during special periods. Conclusions. This work attempts to assess the readiness of a medical institution to act in military emergencies by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method by T. Saaty, adapted for the relevant tasks.