Massachusetts General Hospital participation in Operation Unified Assistance for tsunami relief in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
When Project HOPE invited Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to participate in a tsunami relief mission aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship in January 2005, MGH responded swiftly and enthusiastically. Overcoming differences in medical styles and standards, as well as a variety of cultural and institutional differences, MGH volunteers collaborated successfully with Navy personnel and volunteers from other hospitals to deliver excellent care to a large number of tsunami victims. Lessons were learned regarding the need for better initial team orientation, more-open communication, and more-transparent decision-making; still, a rapid response of tertiary medicine, joining public and private resources, proved to be a powerful effective model.
Wong
Waichi
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Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Brandt
Lynda
L
Keenan
M Edward
ME
D000533:Altruism; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004190:Disasters; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008404:Massachusetts; D008493:Medical Missions / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D012066:Relief Work / Q000458:organization & administration; D012767:Ships; D014481:United States; D014837:Voluntary Health Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration*