title: Earthquakes.
abstract: Major earthquakes have the potential to be one of the most catastrophic natural disasters affecting mankind. Earthquakes of significant size threaten lives and damage property by setting off a chain of events that disrupts all aspects of the environment and significantly impacts the public health and medical infrastructures of the affected region. This article provides an overview of basic earthquake facts and relief protocol for medical personnel.
authors.affiliation: International Trauma and Disaster Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, 8 Hawthorne Place, Suite 114, Boston, MA 02114, USA. sbriggs@partners.org
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Briggs
mesh_terms: D003444:Crush Syndrome / Q000601:surgery; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010346:Patient Care Management; D012307:Risk Factors; D014218:Triage; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery*