How to Best Deploy and Set-up a World Health Organization (WHO) Classified Emergency Medical Team Type 2 (EMT-2)?

Area of Science:

• Disaster Medicine
• Emergency Medical Services
• Surgical Field Hospitals

Background:

• Natural disasters necessitate rapid deployment of onsite medical teams, including World Health Organization (WHO) certified Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs).
• The French EMT-2 Civil Security's projectable surgical field hospital is a critical asset for international disaster response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the deployment experience of the French EMT-2 Civil Security's projectable surgical field hospital.
• To identify challenges and limitations impacting the early efficacy of the surgical field hospital deployment.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of mission reports and theatre logbooks.
• Analysis of staff interviews to understand deployment processes.
• Evaluation of deployment timelines from catastrophe onset to first surgery.

Main Results:

• The EMT-2 was deployed three times in 2023 and 2024 to Turkey, Libya, and Mayotte, demonstrating its capability in diverse scenarios.
• Deployment was frequently delayed by geopolitical and logistical constraints, hindering timely surgical intervention.
• Once operational, the facility provided surgical care within 24 hours.

Conclusions:

• The EMT-2 surgical field hospital is effective once deployed, offering rapid surgical care.
• Significant delays in reaching the deployment site impede the hospital's early efficacy.
• A potential solution involves initially deploying a smaller surgical unit, followed by the main EMT-2 contingent.