Assessing the pre-hospital care preparedness to face mass casualty incident in Saudi Arabia in 2017-2018

OBJECTIVES: To assess the mass casualty incident (MCI) preparedness of pre-hospital care providers in Saudi Arabia and to identify and highlight their strengths and weaknesses when responding to MCIs. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive quantitative analysis was conducted between January 2017 and 2018 and included all Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) general administration branches in 13 regions in Saudi Arabia. The modified version of the emergency medical specialists (EMS) incident response and readiness assessment (EIRRA) tool was used in this study. RESULTS: The Makkah region has the largest number of ambulances and medics vehicles, followed by Riyadh. Makkah and Al Madinah Al Munawarah obtained a median score of 4 and showed substantial preparedness for MCIs. However, Al Madinah Al Munawarah showed higher level of MCI preparedness than Makkah, and a significant difference was found (p=0.019). By contrast, Riyadh and the Eastern region showed limited MCI preparedness. In addition, a moderate positive correlation was observed between the overall median scores and the number of physicians (r=0.656 and p=0.015). CONCLUSION: The SRCA showed substantial preparedness in Makkah and Al Madinah Al Munawarah. The SRCA were highly prepared to face MCIs.