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Is the Run, Hide, Fight Concept Effective in Improving Hospital Response to Shooting Incidents? A Systematic Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2024

Natcha Rummaneethorn Open the ORCID record for Natcha Rummaneethorn [Opens in a new window] ,
Cara Taubman  and
Frosso Adamakos
Natcha Rummaneethorn*
Affiliation:
Metropolitan-Harlem Emergency Medicine Residency Program, New York, New York, USA
Cara Taubman
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York City Health + Hospitals/Harlem Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
Frosso Adamakos
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New York City Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Hospital, New York, New York, USA
*
Corresponding author: Natcha Rummaneethorn; Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

The recent rise of active shootings calls for adequate preparation. Currently, the “Run, Hide, Fight” concept is widely accepted and adopted by many hospitals nationwide. Unfortunately, the appropriateness of this concept in hospitals is uncertain due to lack of data. To understand the “Run, Hide, Fight” concept application in hospitals, a review of currently available data is needed. A systematic review was done focusing on the “Run, Hide, Fight” concept using multiple databases from the past 12 years. The PRISMA flow diagram was used to systematically select the articles based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The measurements were subjective evaluations and survival probabilities post-concept. One agent-based modeling study suggested a high survival probability in non-medical settings. However, there is a paucity of data supporting its effectiveness and applicability in hospitals. Literature suggests a better suitable concept, the “Secure, Preserve, Fight” concept, as a response protocol to active shootings in hospitals. The effectiveness of the “Run, Hide, Fight” concept in hospitals is questionable. The “Secure, Preserve, Fight” concept was found to be designed more specifically for hospitals and closes the gaps on the flaws in the “Run, Hide, Fight” concept.

Keywords

active shootinghospitalemergency departmentrun-hide-fightsecure-preserve-fight
Type
Systematic Review
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 18 , 2024 , e111
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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