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The Volendam Fire: Lessons Learned from Disaster Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Sabine M.van Harten ,
Joost J.L.M. Bierens ,
Lieke Welling ,
Peter Patka ,
Robert W. Kreis  and
Maarten Boers
Sabine M.van Harten*
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Zaans Medical Center, Zaandam, the Netherlands
Joost J.L.M. Bierens
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Lieke Welling
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Peter Patka
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Robert W. Kreis
Affiliation:
Burns Centre, Red Cross Hospital, Beverwijk, the Netherlands
Maarten Boers
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
*
Zaans Medical Center Department of Surgery Koningin Julianaplein 581502 DV Zaandam The Netherlands E-mail: svanharten@hotmail.com
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Abstract

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Introduction:

After the Volendam fire, a multidisciplinary, integral evaluation, called the Medical Evaluation of the Disaster in Volendam (MERV), was established. This article is a discussion of disaster research methodology. It describes the organizational framework of this project and the methodological problems.

Methods:

A scientific steering group consisting of members from three hospitals prepared and guided the project. A research team wrote the final study protocol and performed the study. The project was funded by the Ministry of Health. The study protocol had a modular design in which each of the modules focused on one specific area or location. The main questions for each location were: (1) which treatment protocols were used; (2)what was the condition of the patient; and (3) was medical care provided according to existing protocols. After the fire, 241 victims were treated in hospitals; they all were included in the study. Most of the victims had burn injuries, and approximately one-third suffered from inhalation injury. All hospitals and ambulance services involved were visited in order to collect data, and interviewers obtained additional information. The government helped obtain permission for data-collection in three of the hospitals. Over 1,200 items of information about each patient and >200,000 total items were collected. During data processing, the data were re-organized, categorized, and presented in a uniform and consistent style. A cross-sectional site analysis and a longitudinal patient analysis were conducted. This was facilitated by the use of several sub-data-bases. The modular approach made it possible to obtain a complete overview of the medical care provided. The project team was guided by a multidisciplinary steering group and the research was performed by a research team. This enabled the research team to focus on the scientific aspects.

Conclusion:

The evaluation of the Volendam fire indicates that a project approach with a modular design is effective for the analysis of complex incidents. The use of several sub-databases makes it easy to combine findings and conduct cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The government played an important role in the funding and support of the project. To limit and structure data collection and analysis, a pilot study based on several predefined main questions should be conducted. The questions then can be specified further based on the availability of data.

Keywords

burnsdesigndisasterevaluationfireframeworkinhalation injurymedicalcaremethodologyprotocolsresearchVolendam
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 5 , October 2006 , pp. 303 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2006

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