SCCM Resource Library-Mass Shootings Are a Reality: Be Prepared

Pdf Summary

The Society of Critical Care Medicine’s (SCCM) Fundamental Critical Care Support: Crisis Management (FCCS: CM) course aims to enhance ICU preparedness for a range of disaster scenarios, particularly focusing on mass shootings. The FCCS: CM course includes essential modules on rapid assessment, triage, blood product needs, training exercises, and emotional support for medical personnel. As mass shootings increase, it’s important for hospitals, especially those in rural areas, to have a comprehensive disaster response plan to effectively manage the potential influx of patients.<br /><br />Mass shootings present unique challenges, with high mortality rates ranging from 40% to 100%. Survivors often require immediate medical attention, with most not needing ICU care due to a median injury severity score of 5. It is crucial for the ICU to have an emergency plan in place and for intensivists and other critical care professionals to understand their role in crisis management without prematurely reallocating ICU resources. <br /><br />Hospitals must ensure a disaster management plan is ready, assigning key roles such as incident command, triage, and patient management. In rural settings, limited resources necessitate collaboration with emergency services to decide whether patients should be transported to larger facilities or treated locally.<br /><br />In in-hospital shootings, ICU staff may need to take on responsibilities typically handled by the ED, necessitating thorough emergency preparedness and trauma assessment training. The presence of the shooter adds additional challenges, requiring medical personnel to adhere to Tactical Emergency Casualty Care protocols.<br /><br />The FCCS: CM course provides valuable resources, such as instructions on triaging and supporting staff emotionally post-event. More information can be accessed through the SCCM Resource Library, which offers chapters on disaster response and augmenting critical care capacity.

Asset Subtitle

Trauma, Crisis Management, 2023, 0:06:12

Asset Caption

"This article was first published in the Winter 2023 issue of Critical Connections.

Public mass shootings in the United States are on the rise. Although they comprise only a small percentage of the approximately 100,000 annual firearm-related injuries, the resultant medical crisis can overwhelm hospital EDs and trauma centers. Typically, the intensive care unit (ICU) does not see mass shooting survivors immediately, and a large influx of patients to the ICU is uncommon except in extreme situations. However, it is vital for the ICU to have a plan in place and for intensivists and other critical care professionals to be familiar with managing injury patterns and complications that can occur among victims, especially when there are a large number of wounded survivors.

Critical Connections, the critical care industry's only magazine, provides information on cutting-edge topics in critical care useful to the entire multiprofessional team."

Meta Tag

Content Type Article

Knowledge Area Trauma

Knowledge Area Crisis Management

Knowledge Level Foundational

Knowledge Level Intermediate

Knowledge Level Advanced

Membership Level Associate

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Select

Tag Crisis Management

Tag Trauma

Year 2023

Keywords

Critical Care

Disaster Preparedness

Mass Shootings

ICU Management

Triage

Crisis Management

Emergency Plan

Rural Hospitals

Tactical Emergency Care

Emotional Support

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