Quality indicators for rescue operations in terrorist attacks or other threats : A pilot study after the Würzburg terrorist attack of July 2016

• Published in: Der Anaesthesist 2017-06, Vol.66 (6), p.404-411
• Main Authors: Wurmb, T, Justice, P, Dietz, S, Schua, R, Jarausch, T, Kinstle, U, Greiner, J, Möldner, G, Müller, J, Kraus, M, Simon, S, Wagenhäuser, U, Roewer, N, Helm, M
• Format: Article
• Language: ger
• Subjects: Consensus; Germany; Humans; Mass Casualty Incidents; Pilot Projects; Rescue Work - standards; Terrorism; Violence
• ISSN: 1432-055X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00101-017-0298-0

Terrorist attacks have become reality in Germany. The aim of this work was, after the Würzburg terrorist attack, to define quality indicators and application characteristics for rescue missions in life-threatening situations. The results can be used to record data from future missions using this template in order to make them comparable with each other. After approval of the local ethic committee, the first step was to designate a group of experts in order to define the template in a consensus process. The next step was to perform the consensus process by defining the template. An independent expert for emergency medicine and disaster management reviewed and approved the results afterwards. The expert group defined 13 categories and 158 parameters that will further serve the systematic evaluation of the rescue mission of the Würzburg terror attack. Preliminary results of this evaluation process are given in this paper; the full evaluation has not yet been completed. In this study we first describe quality indicators and parameters suitable for the German rescue system in order to evaluate rescue operations for violence caused mass casualties. There is similar international documentation, but it does not specifically focus on life-threatening operations and are not adapted to the German context. There is an important need to systematically evaluate rescue missions after mass killing incidents. In this study we report a template of parameters and quality indicators in order to systematically evaluate mass violence events. The presented template is the result of an expert consensus process and may serve as a basis for further development and research.