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Changes to the Korean Disaster Medical Assistance System After Numerous Multi-casualty Incidents in 2014 and 2015

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2017

Myeong-il Cha ,
Minhong Choa ,
Seunghwan Kim ,
Jinseong Cho ,
Dai Hai Choi ,
Minsu Cho ,
Won Kim ,
Chu Hyun Kim ,
Daehyun Kang  and
Yun Jung Heo
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Myeong-il Cha
Affiliation:
Myongji Hospital, Emergency Medicine, Goyang, Korea
Minhong Choa
Affiliation:
Yonsei University Severance Hospital, Center for Disaster Relief Training and Research, Seoul, Korea
Seunghwan Kim
Affiliation:
Yonsei University Severance Hospital, Center for Disaster Relief Training and Research, Seoul, Korea
Jinseong Cho
Affiliation:
Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Incheon, Korea
Dai Hai Choi
Affiliation:
Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Gyeongju, Korea
Minsu Cho
Affiliation:
Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Department of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Won Kim
Affiliation:
Inje University College of Medicine and Seoul Paik Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul, Korea
Chu Hyun Kim
Affiliation:
Inje University College of Medicine and Seoul Paik Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Daehyun Kang
Affiliation:
The Armed Forces Medical School, Save Center, Daejeon, Korea
Yun Jung Heo
Affiliation:
Ajou University School of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Medical Humanities and Social Medicine, Suwon, Korea
Jung Eon Kim
Affiliation:
National Medical Center, National Emergency Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
Han Deok Yoon
Affiliation:
National Medical Center, National Emergency Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
Soon Joo Wang*
Affiliation:
Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Department of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Soon Joo Wang, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine (e-mail: erwsj@chol.com).
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Abstract

Objective

A number of multiple-casualty incidents during 2014 and 2015 brought changes to Korea’s disaster medical assistance system. We report these changes here.

Methods

Reports about these incidents, revisions to laws, and the government’s revised medical disaster response guidelines were reviewed.

Results

The number of DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team) staff members was reduced to 4 from 8, and the mobilization method changed. An emergency response manual was created that contains the main content of the DMAT, and there is now a DMAT training program to educate staff. The government created and launched a national 24-hour Disaster Emergency Medical Service Situation Room, and instead of the traditional wireless communications, mobile instant smart phone messaging has been added as a new means of communication. The number of disaster base hospitals has also been doubled.

Conclusion

Although there are still limitations that need to be remedied, the changes to the current emergency medical assistance system are expected to improve the system’s response capacity. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:526–530)

Keywords

disastersmass casualty incidentsmedical assistance
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 526 - 530
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

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