[Prehospital care to multiple victims with simulated trauma]

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Trauma care
• Prehospital services

Context:

• Assessing prehospital care quality in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
• Evaluating four emergency response teams during a simulated mass casualty incident.
• Utilizing a retrospective analysis of archived records and a checklist for performance evaluation.

Purpose:

• To assess the quality of prehospital care agencies in Vitória, Brazil.
• To evaluate the performance of Military Fire Department, Samu 192, County Guard, and Civil Defense teams.
• To identify areas for improvement in prehospital trauma response.

Summary:

• The Fire Department of Espírito Santo (CBMES) and Samu 192 demonstrated high performance in victim extrication, triage (START method), and initial medical care (ABCDE mnemonic), with correct actions in over 90% of assessed categories.
• Patient transport was performed correctly in 95% of cases, and traffic management by the County Guard and coordination by Civil Defense were effective.
• While triage and transport were satisfactory, the study identified significant deficiencies in victim exposure and environmental control (hypothermia protection), with correct care in only 42.5% of ABCDE applications and 50% for exposure/environment.

Impact:

• Highlights the need for enhanced training and protocols focusing on environmental protection and preventing hypothermia in mass casualty incidents.
• Provides data for improving prehospital care quality and patient outcomes in emergency situations.
• Informs policy and practice for emergency medical services in Brazil and similar settings.