Analysis of medical treatment at a field hospital following Hurricane Andrew, 1992.

Bibliography: p. 1728

Reprinted from Annals of Emergency Medicine; 1993; Vol. 22; No. 11; p. 1721-1728

Reprint

Study objective: To determine what medical care was required of a special operations response team by a community devastated by a major hurricane. Study design: Retrospective analysis of 1,544 patient encounter forms generated at a field hospital set up in Homestead, Florida, after Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 and staffed by the special operations response team from Forsyth County, North Carolina. Type of participants: All presenting for treatment. Results: One thousand two hundred three adult patients and 336 pediatric pateints were seen by the special operations response team. Only five of the injuries treated were due directly to the hurricane, whereas 285 of the treated injuries were sustained during clean-up activities. Most of the care provided was routine medical care denied the citizens due to the loss of their physicians' offices and clinics. Supplies of tetanus toxiod, antibiotics, and insulin were depleted in 24 hours. Resupplying these items and acquiring other medication to refill prescriptions constituted a pressing problem. Conclusion: The primary function of medical personnel responding to an area hit by a major hurricane will be to provide general medical care. Any trauma encountered will be primarily due to clean-up activities and not due to the hurricane itself. Responding medical personnel should plan on providing their own food and water for the first 72 hours and be well stocked with antibiotics, tetanus toxoid, and insulin