Utstein-style template for uniform data reporting of acute medical response in disasters.
BACKGROUND
In 2003, the Task Force on Quality Control of Disaster Management (WADEM) published guidelines for evaluation and research on health disaster management and recommended the development of a uniform data reporting tool. Standardized and complete reporting of data related to disaster medical response activities will facilitate the interpretation of results, comparisons between medical response systems and quality improvement in the management of disaster victims.


METHODS
Over a two-year period, a group of 16 experts in the fields of research, education, ethics and operational aspects of disaster medical management from 8 countries carried out a consensus process based on a modified Delphi method and Utstein-style technique.


RESULTS
The EMDM Academy Consensus Group produced an Utstein-style template for uniform data reporting of acute disaster medical response, including 15 data elements with indicators, that can be used for both research and quality improvement.


CONCLUSIONS
It is anticipated that the Utstein-style template will enable better and more accurate completion of reports on disaster medical response and contribute to further scientific evidence and knowledge related to disaster medical management in order to optimize medical response system interventions and to improve outcomes of disaster victims.
Research Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. Academy for Emergency Management and Disaster Medicine (EMDM Academy).
Michel
M
Debacker
Ives
I
Hubloue
Erwin
E
Dhondt
Gerald
G
Rockenschaub
Anders
A
Rüter
Tudor
T
Codreanu
Kristi L
KL
Koenig
Carl
C
Schultz
Kobi
K
Peleg
Pinchas
P
Halpern
Samuel
S
Stratton
Francesco
F
Della Corte
Herman
H
Delooz
Pier Luigi
PL
Ingrassia
Davide
D
Colombo
Maaret
M
Castrèn