12 - Comparative Case Study Analysis - Michael Newland

Reference:

Little, M., Cooper, J., Gope, M., Hahn, K. A., Kibar, C., McCoubrie, D., . . . Leclercq, M. (2012). 'Lessons Learned'" A Comparative Case Study Analysis of an Emergency Department Response to two Burns Disasters. Emergency Medicine Australasia. Vol. 24 Issue 4., Pg. 420-429.

Theme: This is a comparason of two different case studies between two disasters that occurred. This case studies looks at the improvments made from the lessons learned from the first disaster that were applied to the second disaster.

Summary:

·         On 12, October 2002 two bombs exploded in Kuta, Bali, in two separate bars. 202 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. 28 burn victims were transferred to Royal Perth Hospital in Australia.

·         On 15, April 2009 the Ashmore Reef disaster occurred. A vessel with 49 persons on board exploded off of Australia’s coast. Five people died and 41 persons were injured. 23 burn patients were transferred to Royal Perth Hospital.

·         A number of issues identified following the Bali bombing led to the development of specific interventions and changes in approach.

·         Following the Bali bombing, the need for regular disaster training was identified. The need for provision of early on-scene interventions and burns triage was noted after Bali. The Bali bombing highlighted the need for effective communication throughout the facility. Some patients had significant delays in departing the emergency department. The experience identified the need for control of entry to the ED with large numbers of people having the potential to cause role confusion and inability to identify ED teams. It was noted there was a need for early and accurate identification of intubation requirements. The unprecedented media attention following Bali was also noted.

·         Evaluation of the issues arising from the Bali bombings in 2002 allowed Royal Perth Hospital to develop a series of specific initiatives based on this experience.

·         The implementation of these was effective in improving the hospital response to the reception and care of patients following a similar burns disaster.

Application to the Lesson Topic: This week’s lesson was Case Studies in Disaster Communication: Man-made and Natural Disasters. This particular case study was a review of two case studies on two separate burns disasters. Case studies are important because it can help others learn from past mistakes.

Application to Emergency Services: It is important for emergency responders to learn from past mistakes in order to prevent similar things from happening again. By learning from the past you can improve on patient care and emergency response.