My opinion

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Disaster medicine, as recent events emphasize, is a specialty of growing importance in the field of medicine.  The risk of disasters continues to increase due to multiple factors. These factors include global trends such as population growth, urbanization and the globalization of industry. Furthermore, there is an ever-increasing expectation among modern populations for an assurance of safety that also extends to emergency situations, as many citizens look to the state for what has been described as the “responsibility to protect”.

The need to share scientific knowledge related to disasters is crucial and the arguments posed include a wide range of subjects:  (e.g. triage, surge capacity, ethics, preparedness and training, and standard of care). Moreover, in comparison to those challenges faced by other specialties, the empirical study of disaster medicine holds a unique set of barriers. Researchers often face significant challenges involving the most fundamental of scientific endeavors. Among these challenges are lack of accurate documentation during events, logistical difficulties in data collection, a broad lack of standardization for comparability and analysis of like events; and seeking to avoid bias or confounding factors. It is also difficult to develop large datasets for low probability, yet high impact events. Thus, in many instances, academic reports rely heavily on anecdote, lacking statistical evidence by which to guide decision-making. But, this doesn’t mean that it is not important for us to strive harder to share ideas among experts in order to improve scientific methodology and ultimately affect health outcomes.

It is therefore, important to promote an evidence-based specialty of medicine that will better serve to define the clinical practice, connect the scientific community, and encourage scrupulous debate around the modern practice of disaster medicine. 

Source(s) of Funding

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None

Competing Interests

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None

Disclaimer

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