Mass casualty sim tests RBWH’s disaster response

Various teams came together to understand how the organisation will respond to multiple high acuity patients presenting at once.

The Teamwork and Collaborative Training (TACT) team recently ran the first multidisciplinary, multi-departmental mass casualty simulation which involved clinicians and support officers from across the hospital.

The scenario involved six major trauma patients who had been injured in the community and was a test of communication, departmental responses to disasters and an opportunity for the system to be stressed to help improve the hospital disaster plan into the future.

Hospital staff from the Emergency and Trauma Centre, Trauma Service, Blood Bank, Intensive Care, Operating Theatres, Anaesthetics, Patient support services, Switchboard, Radiology, Internal Medicine and Administration came together to understand how the organisation will respond to multiple high acuity patients presenting at once.

Deputy Director of Trauma at RBWH Dr Frances Williamson said: “Many great lessons were learned, with plans to use this initial exercise to improve everyone’s understanding and ability to respond when needed, especially with the Olympics just around the corner.”