Hospital & Specialty Training
Disaster Management
Hospital disaster plan, triage under mass-casualty conditions, surge capacity and staff roles in internal and external disasters.
- track
- Hospital & Specialty Training
- format
- Self-paced
What this module covers
Hospital disaster plan, triage under mass-casualty conditions, surge capacity and staff roles in internal and external disasters.
This is a self-paced training module that maps to NDMA Guidelines - Hospital Disaster Management Plan. It is delivered inside the MedNext app so clinicians and hospital staff can work through it between shifts, with no live sessions or fixed deadlines.
What it covers in detail
Disaster Management
- The distinction between internal disasters (fire, structural failure) and external disasters (mass-casualty incidents) and the plan for each.
- Mass-casualty triage using a system such as START to sort patients by survivability and urgency when resources are overwhelmed.
- Surge capacity: expanding beds, staff, space and supplies, and the incident command structure that coordinates the response.
- Predefined staff roles, call-in and communication during a disaster.
- Mock drills, debriefs and continuous improvement of the plan.
Who should complete this, and why
Every department has a role in a hospital disaster response, so awareness is broad, while emergency, critical-care and administrative staff carry defined command and triage roles. The NDMA guidelines expect hospitals to hold a Hospital Disaster Management Plan and to train and drill staff against it.
What you will be able to do after this module
On completion you should be able to
- Distinguish internal from external disasters and the response to each.
- Perform mass-casualty triage under a recognised system.
- Explain surge capacity and the incident command structure.
- Know their own role in the hospital disaster plan.
Frequently asked questions
How does triage change in a mass-casualty incident?
Everyday triage tries to give everyone the best possible care. Mass-casualty triage shifts to doing the greatest good for the greatest number, which can mean deprioritising the most severely injured when resources cannot save them, so that salvageable patients are treated first.
What is an incident command structure?
It is a predefined chain of command activated during a disaster, with clear roles for command, operations, logistics and communication, so that the response is coordinated rather than chaotic.
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