Contingencies which affect medical care in disasters: an informal report.

Conference Date 8 November 1964

The community system response during the first hours and days after a major disaster impact is both qualitatively and quantitatively different from its normal pattern. This adaptive response has been called the emergency social (or community) system, it comes into existence in response to the disaster, and continues until there is a return to normal conditions. Alerting of hospitals and medical personnel is frequently delayed. Hospitals may learn of the disaster when the patients arrive. Some large hospitals in the US have fairly elaborate disaster plans, many still have no plan at all. Today there is very little planning integrating medical and paramedical services on a community wide basis. If common contingencies of disaster medical care are to be dealt with adequately, some extensive interorganizational and intercommunity co-ordination seems necessary