Conducting a conventional multi-casualty incident in COVID-19 personal protective equipment - a semi-structured...

The risk of COVID-19 transmission to healthcare professionals is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) presents a number of potential challenges to responders that may impact upon the management of patients in a multi-casualty incident. This report describes a multi-agency multi-casualty incident. It identifies learning points specifically related to the challenges of conducting a conventional multi-casualty incident in COVID-19 PPE.

The multi casualty incident in Reading, UK on the 20 June 2020 involved six stab injury victims and was attended by four pre-hospital critical care teams. This was the first conventional multi-casualty incident that pre-hospital critical care teams had attended during the COVID-19 era and it was conducted in COVID-19 PPE (1). The scene was an urban park where three patients were confirmed to be in Traumatic Cardiac Arrest (TCA) from stab wounds and another three patients had also suffered stab injuries. By the time the incident had concluded three patients were pronounced dead at the scene. Two patients were transported to the local trauma unit and one patient was transported to the regional Major Trauma Centre depending on the severity of their injuries.

We conducted a semi structured telephone interview with the critical care clinicians who were involved in the incident. The interviews focused specifically on the challenges of responding whilst wearing COVID-19 PPE, rather than the wider challenges of responding to such an incident. The key learning points identified were: Improving the identifiability of clinicians in level 3 PPE wearing identification tabards using visible labelling on PPE suits Improving communication by radio using a belt to carry the radio using an earpiece and push to talk system. Training in conducting multi casualty incidents in level 3 PPE.