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The Volendam fire: lessons learned from disaster research.
- Source :
-
Prehospital and disaster medicine [Prehosp Disaster Med] 2006 Sep-Oct; Vol. 21 (5), pp. 303-9. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- Introduction: After the Volendam fire, a multidisciplinary, integral evaluation, called the Medical Evaluation of the Disaster in Volendam (MERV), was established. This article is a discussion of disaster research methodology. It describes the organizational framework of this project and the methodological problems.<br />Methods: A scientific steering group consisting of members from three hospitals prepared and guided the project. A research team wrote the final study protocol and performed the study. The project was funded by the Ministry of Health. The study protocol had a modular design in which each of the modules focused on one specific area or location. The main questions for each location were: (1) which treatment protocols were used; (2) what was the condition of the patient; and (3) was medical care provided according to existing protocols. After the fire, 241 victims were treated in hospitals; they all were included in the study. Most of the victims had burn injuries, and approximately one-third suffered from inhalation injury. All hospitals and ambulance services involved were visited in order to collect data, and interviewers obtained additional information. The government helped obtain permission for data-collection in three of the hospitals. Over 1,200 items of information about each patient and > 200,000 total items were collected. During data processing, the data were re-organized, categorized, and presented in a uniform and consistent style. A cross-sectional site analysis and a longitudinal patient analysis were conducted. This was facilitated by the use of several sub-databases. The modular approach made it possible to obtain a complete overview of the medical care provided. The project team was guided by a multidisciplinary steering group and the research was performed by a research team. This enabled the research team to focus on the scientific aspects.<br />Conclusion: The evaluation of the Volendam fire indicates that a project approach with a modular design is effective for the analysis of complex incidents. The use of several sub-databases makes it easy to combine findings and conduct cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The government played an important role in the funding and support of the project. To limit and structure data collection and analysis, a pilot study based on several predefined main questions should be conducted. The questions then can be specified further based on the availability of data.
- Subjects :
- Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Netherlands
Disaster Planning
Fires
Research Design
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1049-023X
- Volume :
- 21
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Prehospital and disaster medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 17297899
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x00003927