Abstract
AimTo evaluate the ease of use, reliability, and duplication risks of a new identification (ID) coding method, which works for mass casualty events such as disaster scenes.MethodsThe new ID code consisted of 16 alphanumeric characters: seven characters for the responder's information and nine for the casualty, which can be created in a very low‐tech manner without using any electronic devices. A simulated triage was carried out for virtual causalities by students of the same grade at our university's medical school. Each participant was instructed to triage and create IDs for the same 10 virtual casualties. Eighty‐nine participants created a total of 890 IDs, which were examined for correct coding and ID duplication rates.ResultsDespite situations in which the risk of duplication might be considered high, complete duplication of IDs occurred in only one case (0.2%), and the other 888 IDs (99.8%) were unique. The simulation was done in a reasonable amount of time without any confusion.ConclusionsIn the mass casualty incident triage simulation, our new coding method proved easy and useful in creating IDs with an extremely low duplication rate. To develop this method for broader use, further evaluation is needed in more simulations and real disaster situations.
Highlights
O VER THE LAST two decades, there have been frequent mass casualty incidents (MCIs) worldwide, such as the September 11 attacks in which approximately 3,000 people died in the USA1 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in which approximately 19,000 people died or were lost in Japan.[2]
To achieve effective information sharing at disaster sites, it is essential to use a standard method of recording accurate personal identification without the risk of duplication
It could be difficult at disaster sites to obtain personal information from semi-conscious casualties, small children, foreigners, and the elderly, as they may lack the ability to provide accurate information including name, age, address, and medical history
Summary
O VER THE LAST two decades, there have been frequent mass casualty incidents (MCIs) worldwide, such as the September 11 attacks in which approximately 3,000 people died in the USA1 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in which approximately 19,000 people died or were lost in Japan.[2]. To achieve effective information sharing at disaster sites, it is essential to use a standard method of recording accurate personal identification without the risk of duplication It could be difficult at disaster sites to obtain personal information from semi-conscious casualties, small children, foreigners, and the elderly, as they may lack the ability to provide accurate information including name, age, address, and medical history. Such details are important for casualties and evacuees in disasters and in emergency medical and other risk-management situations.[1,3,4] This issue has a profound effect on communication among accident scenes, hospitals, and other organizations.[2,5,6] From this point of view, a personal identification (ID) code that is allocated in a uniform way by first responders is one of the solutions
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