Assessing admitted patients' preparedness during mass casualty incidents at the hospital - a prospective study

Hospitalized patients are inherently one of the most vulnerable populations. When the hospital is damaged, this population becomes even more at risk. Violence and natural disasters always have the potential to damage hospitals and other healthcare facilities, creating additional strain on an already catastrophic event. This study presents the preparedness of hospitalized patients during a mass casualty incident in order to understand their perspectives during a time of war in order to prepare, optimize, and to guide policy in order to maintain the highest level of care, efficiency, and safety.

A descriptive cross-sectional prospective analysis was conducted for patients admitted during an active war.

Data from 103 patients were analyzed. 77% reported mobility limitations that significantly increased compared to their baseline home status. The majority did not know what to do in a disaster, only 20.4% felt able to take care of themselves in an emergency. 61.7% believed it was important to have CPR or stop-the-bleeding training. The major challenges were getting out of bed (56.9%), mobility help (41.2%), pain, and attachment to IVs/drains (both 25.5%). Older patients, non-Jewish individuals, religious patients, and those without an academic degree were all significantly at higher risk for having less knowledge about what to do if there was a mass casualty incident.

There is a clear need to better understand the patient perspective, as reflected in specific points identified in this study, in order to optimize hospital preparedness when the hospital itself is a disaster victim.