From the article abstract: During a 3-month trial period, messages were sent between 3:35 PM and midnight with no regular pattern. Employees were asked to respond by telling how much time it would take them to reach the hospital in case of a mass casualty incident.
Result: The mean reaction time (SMS reply) was 36.41 minutes. The mean declared time of arrival to the hospital was 100.5 minutes. After excluding 10% of extreme values for declared arrival time, the mean arrival time was estimated as 38.35 minutes.
Conclusion: Short text messages (SMS) can be considered an additional tool for notifying medical staff in case of a mass casualty incident.
| Study Region | Poland |
| Organization | Department of Emergency Medicine and Disaster Medicine,Medical University of Lodz,Łódź,Poland. |
| Issue or Problem | Using SMS as a tool for notification in a mass casualty incident in a hospital |
| Tech Medium | SMS |
| Technology Device | Smartphone |
| mFHAST Implication | Opportunity to use short text message (SMS) to supplement communication amongst staff in case of a fire or mass casualty incident in a hospital. |