Mass-casualty incidents involving radiation are rare but potentially devastating events. Even incidents with a small number of casualties are challenging due to the specific nature of the information and decisions required, and the rate of decay of knowledge about radiation. A package of specific forms and guidelines could assist emergency department (ED) physicians with this process.

A seven-page tool was developed as part of a project (METER 2008) funded by the Canadian Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Research and Training Initiative (CRTI) to facilitate the ED management of radiation casualties. These forms cover triage, the history and physical examination, diagrams to mark areas of contamination, standing orders, and a means of estimating Acute Radiation Syndrome severity. The tool was piloted at a workshop in Quebec City in November 2007. Later, a questionnaire was distributed to participants to assess the usefulness. The tool will be further tested at other workshops across Canada during the winter.

Participants found the tool to be useful, Their comments and improvements will be presented.

The tool demonstrated in this presentation can be used to assist ED staff with the triage and management of casualties with exposure to radiation.