Browse the corpus

Team-based care is a critical component of medical response during disasters. Repeated experiences with natural and human-made disasters underscore the need for an organized, system-wide approach to disaster medical care. When a disaster exceeds local capacity, external assistance becomes essential. Many countries maintain disaster response systems that scale across local, regional, and national levels. These systems often center on dedicated disaster teams, whose composition, objectives, and specialization vary from country to country. Initial responses usually involve local or regional emergency medical services (EMS) or medical assistance teams. Specialized teams, such as surgical response units, search and rescue teams, or mortuary support teams, may be deployed as necessary. Clinicians should understand the disaster response levels in their region and the command structures that coordinate these efforts.[1][2][3][4][5]