Examining the experiences of prehospital emergency workers in emergency medical intervention during terrorist...

Mass casualty incidents targeting civilians continue to pose a global threat. Terrorist attacks present several challenges for response teams due to various attack methods, reporting difficulties, the need for a multidisciplinary approach, and distinct security concerns. The aim of this study is to reveal the mass casualty management experiences and intervention challenges encountered by prehospital emergency workers in Turkey during terrorist attacks over the past decade.

A phenomenological research design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in this study. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers. In-depth interviews were conducted to understand the emergency medical care experiences of prehospital emergency health service workers during terrorist attacks. The study included 21 professionals who participated in various terrorist incidents. The MAXQDA 2020 qualitative data analysis program was used for data analysis, employing open coding and thematic analysis methods.

Notable findings obtained during the interviews were categorized. These categories were communication, security, intervention, and coordination. The qualitative analysis of the study examined the data under 4 categories, 8 main themes, and 25 sub-themes.

The methods used terrorist attacks, influence prehospital emergency approaches, and communication failures can result in emergency medical teams being exposed to hot zones. New action plans incorporating steps such as scene safety, triage, emergency medical care, and transport are necessary for active shooter incidents.