caring for trauma patients thesis
Boston Bombings: Response to Disaster MAUREEN HEMINGWAY, MHA, RN, CNOR; JOANNE FERGUSON, MSN, RN
ABSTRACT
Disasters disrupt everyone’s lives, and they can disrupt the flow and function of
an OR as well as affect personnel on a professional and personal level even
though perioperative departments and their personnel are used to caring for
trauma patients and coping with surprises. The Boston Marathon bombing was a
new experience for personnel at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. This
article discusses the incidents surrounding the bombing and how personnel at
this hospital met the challenge of caring for patients and the changes we made
after the experience to be better prepared in the event a response to a similar
incident is needed. AORN J 99 (February 2014) 277-288. � AORN, Inc, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2013.07.019
Key words: perioperative disaster care, OR triage, terrorist bombings, Boston
Marathon, shelter in care, city lockdown.
M assachusetts General Hospital (MGH),
Boston, is a level I trauma teaching
hospital where patients receive care for
all surgical specialties. Personnel have the capacity
and ability to care for a large number of patients
with varying acuity levels. There are 907 beds and
61 functional ORs located on one campus. In 2005,
MGH received designation as a Magnet� hospital, and, in 2008 and 2012, the American Nurses Cre-
dentialing Center renewed this designation. The
hospital’s perioperative nursing team cares for
approximately 36,000 patients per year and pro-
vides perioperative care, on average, for 150 pa-
tients per day. The ORs are located on three levels
across five different buildings.