Mass casualty incident
Mass casualty incident (pronunciation: /mæs/ /ˈkæʒuəlti/ /ˈɪnsɪdənt/) is a term used in the field of emergency management and healthcare to describe an event where the number of casualties exceeds the available resources to provide adequate care.
Etymology
The term "mass casualty incident" is derived from the English words "mass" (meaning a large number), "casualty" (referring to a person who is killed or injured in a war or accident), and "incident" (an event or occurrence).
Definition
A mass casualty incident (MCI) is any incident in which emergency medical services resources, such as personnel and equipment, are overwhelmed by the number and severity of casualties. For example, it can be a large-scale natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or a large accident.
Related Terms
- Triage: The process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition.
- Disaster Medicine: A discipline resulting from the combination of emergency medicine and disaster management.
- Emergency Management: The organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies.
- Casualty: A person who is killed or injured in a war or accident.
See Also
References
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