title: Prepared for the unthinkable: EDs respond to terrorist attacks.
abstract: The response to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon provided many key lessons for disaster preparedness. Volunteer physicians were not used in most cases, but EDs recognized the need for a system to check credentials. Communication from disater sites was problem. Injured patients went to the nearest hospital, even if it was not the most appropriate hospital. Experts recommend using existing disaster plans as templates to design or update your own.
mesh_terms: D000401:Aircraft; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D023481:Terrorism; D014768:Virginia