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Disaster Healthcare System Management and Crisis Intervention Leadership in Thailand–Lessons Learned from the 2004 Tsunami Disaster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Rami Peltz ,
Issac Ashkenazi ,
Dagan Schwartz ,
Ofer Shushan ,
Guy Nakash ,
Adi Leiba ,
Yeheskel Levi ,
Avishay Goldberg  and
Yaron Bar-Dayan
Rami Peltz
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command
Issac Ashkenazi
Affiliation:
Medical Services and Supply Center, IDF Medical Corps Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel IDF Medical Corps, Surgeon General Headquarters
Dagan Schwartz
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Ofer Shushan
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command
Guy Nakash
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command
Adi Leiba
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Yeheskel Levi
Affiliation:
IDF Medical Corps, Surgeon General Headquarters
Avishay Goldberg
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Yaron Bar-Dayan*
Affiliation:
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
*
16 Dolev St. Neve Savion, Or-Yehuda, Israel E-mail: bardayan@netvision.net.il
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Abstract

Introduction:

Quarantelli established criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of disaster management.

Objectives:

The objectives of this study were to analyze the response of the healthcare system to the Tsunami disaster according to the Quarantelli principles, and to validate these principles in a scenario of a disaster due to natural hazards.

Methods:

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command Medical Department sent a research team to study the response of the Thai medical system to the disaster. The analysis of the disaster management was based on Quarantelli's 10 criteria for evaluating the management of community disasters. Data were collected through personal and group interviews.

Results:

The three most important elements for effective disaster management were: (1) the flow of information; (2) overall coordination; and (3) leadership. Although pre-event preparedness was for different and smaller scenarios, medical teams repeatedly reported a better performance in hospitals that recently conducted drills.

Conclusions:

In order to increase effectiveness, disaster management response should focus on: (1) the flow of information; (2) overall coordination; and (3) leadership.

Keywords

coordinationdisaster managementhospitalsinformationIsraeli Defense Forcesleadershipnatural hazardspreparednessThailandtsunami
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 5 , October 2006 , pp. 299 - 302
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2006

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References

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