Citation

Gangadharan M, Hayanga HK, Greenberg R, Schwengel D. Anesth. Analg. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, International Anesthesia Research Society, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1213/ANE.0000000000006719

PMID

38109852

Abstract

Disasters, both natural and man-made, continue to increase. In Spring 2023, a 3-hour workshop on mass casualty incidents was conducted at the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia-American Academy of Pediatrics Annual conference. The workshop used multiple instructional strategies to maximize knowledge transfer and learner engagement including minididactic sessions, problem-based learning discussions in 3 tabletop exercises, and 2 30-minute disaster scenarios with actors in a simulated hospital environment. Three themes became evident: (1) disasters will continue to impact hospitals and preparation is imperative, (2) anesthesiologists are extensively and comprehensively trained and their value is often underestimated as mass casualty incident responders, and (3) a need exists for longitudinal disaster preparedness education and training over the course of a career. In this special article, we have sought to further define the problem and evidence, the capacity of anesthesiologists as leaders in disaster preparedness, and the rationale for preparation with current best practices to guide how best to move forward.

Language: en