Disasters follow no rules. Traditionally, medical providers have held the erroneous belief that all disasters are different, especially those involving terrorism. In reality, all disasters, regardless of etiology, have similar medical and public health concerns. A consistent approach to disasters, based on an understanding of their common features and the response they require, is becoming the accepted practice throughout the world. This strategy, called the Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Response, has the primary objective of reducing the mortality and morbidity caused by the disaster. The ABC's of Disaster Response Course is designed to train multidisciplinary medical personnel in the key principles of disaster medical response. The course focuses on the key principles of MCI management as well as specific disaster scenarios such as blast injuries, hazardous materials and terrorism which are significant challenges for medical providers.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 4 hours to complete.

COST: $80.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Understand the unique features of Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI) resulting from natural and man-made disasters.
2. Identify the priorities of the medical and public health response to disasters
3. Understand the foundation of and key principles of the Incident Command System (ICS) and rationale for use in an MCI.

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Understand the threat of and the medical response to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction
2. Explore the multidimensional aspects of and the medical response to blast injury
3. Understand the indications for and the techniques of decontamination by medical providers in contaminated environments.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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SUSAN BRIGGS, MD, MPH Course Director

Dr. Susan Briggs is a General and Trauma Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Briggs completed her surgical training at the MGH and her MPH in International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is Director of the International Trauma and Disaster Institute @ MGH and past-president of the Pan American Trauma Association. She is editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Disaster Medicine and editor of the Advanced Disaster Medical Response, Manual for Providers. Dr. Briggs has been active, both nationally and internationally, in trauma and disaster relief activities with the United States Government and non-profit organizations such as Project Hope and the American Refugee Committee. Currently she is Supervising Medical Officer of the US Government/Health and Human Services International Medical Surgical Response Teams (IMSuRT). She has participated in numerous national and international disasters, including Armenia, the World Trade Center attack (New York), the Bam, Iran earthquake, Hurricane Katrina (Louisiana) and the Haiti earthquake. Dr. Briggs has received numerous awards for her academic and humanitarian achievements, including the American Red Cross (Massachusetts Bay) Clara Barton Humanitarian Award, the National Disaster Medical System Outstanding Achievement Award (US Government), the National Library of Medicine (NIH) exhibition (“Changing the Face of Medicine)” honoring women physicians, the New England Women’s Leadership Award, the New England Surgical Society’s Nathan Smith Distinguished Service Award and the 2009 Nina Starr Braunwald Achievement Award (Association of Women Surgeons). DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

PAUL BIDDINGER, MD, FACEP Course Contributor

Dr. Paul Biddinger is the Director of Operations for Emergency Medicine as well as Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is also Associate Director of the CDC-sponsored Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness and he holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and at the Harvard School of Public Health. Additionally, Dr. Biddinger chairs the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Committee on Preparedness and is the Vice-Chairman of the MMS Committee on Public Health. Dr. Biddinger has lectured nationally and internationally on topics of preparedness and disaster medicine. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters on multiple topics related to emergency medical services and disaster medicine. He completed his undergraduate study in international relations at Princeton University, attended medical school at Vanderbilt University, and completed residency training in emergency medicine at Harvard. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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ALASTAIR CONN, MD, FACS Reviewer

Dr. Conn was born in Sheffield, England, and completed medical school at University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He did a research fellowship in surgery at University of Maryland and completed residency in General Surgery at University of Toronto, Canada. Previous appointments have included: Deputy Clinical Director of Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems; Medical Director, Maryland State Police Medivac Program; EMS Director, State of Maryland; Chief of Trauma, Boston University Medical Center; State Chairman of the Massachusetts Committee on Trauma; and Chief of American College of Surgeons Region I Committee on Trauma. Dr. Conn currently serves as Chief of Emergency Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Boston MedFlight critical care transport program. He is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. DISCLOSURE: Chairman, Board of Directors & married to CEO, NE LifeFlight, d/b/a Boston MedFlight

RICHARD HODIN, MD Reviewer

Richard Hodin MD is Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Attending Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His clinical interests are in GI and Endocrine Surgery. He is Surgical Director of the MGH Crohns and Colitis Center and Chief of the MGH Endocrine Surgery Unit. Dr. Hodin runs an NIH-funded research laboratory that is focused on the gut mucosal barrier dysfunction that accompanies a variety of disease states, including starvation, IBD, and severe sepsis. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

DEBRA WEINER, MD Reviewer

Bio Coming Soon. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 4 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 4 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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