Facing the threats of disasters due to natural hazards and terrorist attacks, communities and nations are strategically preparing to respond rapidly to such incidents with the appropriate medical services. Both natural and complex disasters may produce a massive number of casualties that outstrip the ability of the local healthcare system to provide the required care. Damage to the healthcare infrastructure will further compromise the delivery of health services. Field hospitals (FHs) may provide care for the injured and act as a substitute for destroyed hospitals in the aftermath of sudden-onset disasters. A FH is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily provides care to casualties on-site before they can be transported safely to more permanent hospital facilities. The concept was inherited from the battlefield (such as the mobile army surgical hospital (MASH)). A FH is defined as a mobile, self-contained, self-sufficient healthcare facility capable of rapid deployment and expansion or contraction to meet immediate emergency requirements for a specified period of time. The FH may be dispatched temporarily with personnel or donated without personnel.

Field hospitals have been focused on providing emergency trauma care for the initial 48 hours following the sudden-onset disasters, but they tend to continue operations much longer after the on-set. The aim of this study was to assess the timing, activities, and capacities of the FHs deployed after a disaster, especially in severe environments, and provide guidelines on the implementation and deployment of a FH during a disaster. In particular, the activity of Italian Field Hospitals utilized during disasters, humanitarian emergencies, and mass-gatherings events will be described.

Field hospitals have been used successfully during disasters, and now have a crucial role in supporting affected populations and damaged healthcare infrastructures. Field hospitals also play a role in the international community response.