The Massachusetts Hospital Association has reported that as of last Thursday, 20 Boston-area hospitals treated 219 patients from the Boston Marathon bombings, according to a Boston Business Journal report.
The initial estimate of patients treated from the bombings sat between 170 and 180 people. Patients were treated at facilities in Boston suburbs as well, including South Shore Hospital in Weymouth and Emerson Hospital in Concord.
The MHA also named a few reasons hospitals and medical respondents handled the bombing aftermath so effectively April 15:
• All hospitals used the WebEOC system, a statewide crisis management system with real-time updates, within minutes after the blasts to update data such as bed and staffing availability.
• The explosions occurred near five Level 1 trauma centers. These hospitals have specially trained staff who helped write the national protocols for mass casualties and disaster planning, and providers at these hospitals have expertise to treat just about any injury.
• The state eliminated ambulance diversions in the state a few years ago, which was instrumental because hospitals have learned how to coordinate patient-care needs when their emergency departments are full. On Marathon Monday, many hospitals received 10 to 20 injured victims within an hour, making care coordination crucial.
• All the hospitals have participated in citywide and internal drills to help develop responses to mass casualty events. Staffs were also coordinated to ensure there were enough caregivers to handle the patient flow, and many off-duty providers traveled to the hospitals to help on-duty colleagues.
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The initial estimate of patients treated from the bombings sat between 170 and 180 people. Patients were treated at facilities in Boston suburbs as well, including South Shore Hospital in Weymouth and Emerson Hospital in Concord.
The MHA also named a few reasons hospitals and medical respondents handled the bombing aftermath so effectively April 15:
• All hospitals used the WebEOC system, a statewide crisis management system with real-time updates, within minutes after the blasts to update data such as bed and staffing availability.
• The explosions occurred near five Level 1 trauma centers. These hospitals have specially trained staff who helped write the national protocols for mass casualties and disaster planning, and providers at these hospitals have expertise to treat just about any injury.
• The state eliminated ambulance diversions in the state a few years ago, which was instrumental because hospitals have learned how to coordinate patient-care needs when their emergency departments are full. On Marathon Monday, many hospitals received 10 to 20 injured victims within an hour, making care coordination crucial.
• All the hospitals have participated in citywide and internal drills to help develop responses to mass casualty events. Staffs were also coordinated to ensure there were enough caregivers to handle the patient flow, and many off-duty providers traveled to the hospitals to help on-duty colleagues.
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