Tactical exercises and verification of the effectiveness of crisis planning in the Moravian-Silesian Region. A case study from the Czech Republic

Background: Crisis preparation in healthcare facilities should address and resolve both internal and external medical situations. This includes handling the admission of huge numbers of patients during catastrophic disasters, for example. Simultaneously, the management of accidents and disturbances within healthcare facilities, such as fires, power outages, lift functionality, evacuations, and so on, should be managed not only in collaboration with the integrated rescue system, but also in collaboration with higher territorial self-government units, namely regional authorities. The tactical exercises carried out by all components of the rescue system and their preparedness, which frequently show weak places, are one method of testing the efficacy of crisis planning. Aim: Five tactical exercises were held in the Moravian-Silesian Region from 2015 to 2019 as part of the integrated rescue system's readiness, with the goal of testing the procedures of rescue work in road and rail accidents with a large number of injured people, and then testing the readiness of medical facilities to provide fast, effective, smooth, and well-organized medical care ("launch of the Traumatology Plan"). Datafile and Methods: For the tactical drills, five health care institutions created by the region were chosen. These were volunteer organizations that provided acute inpatient and outpatient care. After reviewing all tactical exercises, it was discovered that communication difficulties, insufficient marking of medical material, the medical team or interveners, and stations were the weak points. Human elements, as well as building and organizational measures in hospitals, proven to be troublesome. Conclusion: The exercise tested the efficiency and coordination of the integrated rescue system's components, the ability of firefighters to provide first aid to affected people and carry out rescue and recovery work, and revealed the so-called weak points in the trauma plan's activation