The new edition of Major Incident Medical Management and Support is a vital component in the blended learning course from Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG), which aims to provide hospital staff at all levels with essential information on the preparation, management and support elements of dealing with casualties in a major incident.Split into five sections, each focuses on the elements requisite in preparing for, and responding, to a major incident. The first section discusses the epidemiology and incidences of major incidents and the structured approach to the hospital response. The second section contains the preparation required in planning for major incidents, including equipment and training. The third section covers the management of a major incident, concentrating on the clinical, nursing and management hierarchies. The fourth includes the various stages of support in a major incident, including declaring an incident and activating the plan, the reception, triage, definitive care and recovery phases of an incident. The final section focuses on special incidents which require additional consideration, including those involving hazardous chemicals, burns and children.Written in collaboration with the National Emergency Planning, Major Incident Medical Management and Support is an invaluable reference in the emergency department and beyond for staff needing to prepare for the rare, but inevitable, hospital major incidence response.
