Citation

Chen X, Lu L, Shi J, Zhang X, Fan H, Fan B, Qu B, Lv Q, Hou S. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Tianjin Key Laboratory for Disaster Medicine Technology, Tianjin300072, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/dmp.2020.113

PMID

32317031

Abstract

Disasters such as earthquake, flood, epidemics usually lead to large numbers of casualties accompanied by disruption of the functioning of local medical institutions. A rapid response of medical assistance and support are required. Mobile hospitals have been deployed by national and international organizations at disaster situations in the past decades, which play an important role in saving casualties and alleviating shortage of medical resources. In this paper, we briefly introduce the types and characteristics of mobile hospitals used by medical teams in disaster rescue, including the aspects of structural form, organizational form and mobile transportation. We also review the practices of mobile hospitals in disaster response, summarize the problems and needs of mobile hospitals in disaster rescue. Finally, we propose the development direction of mobile hospitals, especially on the development of intelligence, rapid deployment capabilities and modularization, which provide suggestions for further research and development of mobile hospitals in the future.

Language: en

Keywords

Application; Disaster medicine; Disaster response; Mobile hospital