Disaster Medicine in Korea

Gil Joon Suh, MD, PhD

Department of Emergency Medicine
Seoul National University College of Medicine

Disaster Medicine in Korea

Disaster Medicine in Korea
Not recognized as an established specialty
science
Separated approach

Natural disaster by Fire Department Service

Chemical disaster by Ministry of Environment
Biological events by Ministry of Health and welfare
Nuclear events by Ministry of Education, Science
and Technology

Emergency Response and

Preparedness
Developed by Emergency Medicine
Strength
Community-based Disaster Drill
Disaster drill for Nuclear Disaster
Structural Education and Training Program
Disaster Medical Assistant Team (D-MAT) in
designated Regional Emergency Centers

Weakness
Separated approach

Community-based Disaster
Drill
Since 2005

Community-based Disaster Drill

Seoul Metropolitan City GOV.
SNUH-Regional Emergency Center (level 1)
Three County Health authority
Seoul Emergency Medical Information Center
5 - 10 Local emergency centers (level 2)
Local fire department
Local police department
250 people per one drill
Four times per year since 2005.

Lessen from community-based

Drill
Lessons
What is the disaster
What should be prepared
Who will collaborate with my party
Attitude improvement copying with disaster
preparedness
Knowledge improvement on disaster
preparedness
Uncertain: the change of each performance

Disaster Drill for Nuclear and

Radiologic Events
Since 2005

Nuclear and Radiologic events

Features
Difficult to detect in real situation
Acute catastrophic event : rare
Mass and health provider : fear!

Translating for knowledge and skill is very

important
Health provider-targeted education and
training

N&R Emergency Service

Network
Suspected case
Primary Network to prepare for the nuclear
plant events
Secondary Network to prepare the factoryoriented, downtown events, and inpatient care

N/R Network Drill

One time per year

National Disaster Life Support

Course
Since 2008

NDLS Regional Training center

2007 Set up the pilot training program
2008 Apply for the regional training site
and approved by AMA-NDLS foundation
One-day Basic course (8 H)
Two-day Advance Course (16 H)
A half-day instructor course (4 H)
Core DLS course (4 H)

Monthly-based course in 2009

Preliminary NDLS course in 2007

NDLS Regional Training center

Target: emergency physicians/ emergency
nurses/ EMTs/ and Health department
officials
Seoul Metropolitan City GOV: support
Didactic class
Skill class
Drill class

National Disaster Life Course

Established Programs

First NDLS course in 2008

Disaster Medical Assistant

Team
Since 2004

DMAT Baseline characteristics

Composed of 10 to 20 providers
Emergency physicians/ orthopedics/
pediatrics/ EMTs/ emergency nurses/
administrative assistants
Mobile ER.
Equipped with emergency material and
devices

Smaller than US surge capacity DMAT

Larger than Japan flying DMAT

DMAT activation criteria

Over than 17 victims; Consider
Over than 43 victims: obligatory response
to field
Should provide DMAT activity within one-hour
after a regional-call for DMAT in Seoul, within
six-hour after a nation-wide call for DMAT in
Korea

DMAT training
DMAT operation and training team
Monthly-based check up the equipment and
material for activation
Public support: not enough

Regional Emergency Center: responsibility

to make and operate the DMAT
Not prepared with CBRNE events
Lack of PPE and Decon-unit

Only Disaster Preparedness,

not Disaster Medicine Science

To develop Disaster Medicine

Should organize scientific society
Korean Association of Disaster and
Emergency Medicine (KADEM) since 2007
Hosted the 9th Asian-Pacific Conference on
Disaster Medicine (2008)
Disaster Fellowship (SNUH since 2007)

To develop Disaster Medicine

Need for scientific infrastructure and
research methodology
Expert evidence >> clinical evidence: current
Clinical evidence in the future
Surveillance system and analysis for disaster
events to make clinical evidence
Syndrome surveillance for biologic events (Korea
CDC, since 2007)
Mass casualty and disaster surveillance (Korea
CDC, pending 2009)

Thank you for your attention

Question?