Some considerations for mass casualty management in radiation emergencies

Radiation emergencies are rather new to humankind, as compared to other types of emergencies such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes. Fortunately, they are rare, but because of that, planning for response to large-scale radiation emergencies is least understood. Along with the specific technical aspects of response to radiation emergencies, there are some general guiding principles of responding to mass casualty events of any nature, as identified by the World Health Organization in its 2007 manual for mass casualty management systems. The paper brings forward such general considerations as applicable to radiation mass casualty events, including (1) clear lines of communication; (2) scalability of approach; (3) whole-of-health approach; (4) knowledge based approach; and (5) multisectoral approach. Additionally, some key considerations of planning for mass casualty management systems are discussed, namely, health systems surge capacity and networking, risk and resources mapping, and others.