Palliative Care Training for Work in an Austere Environment after a Natural Disaster

Abstract

Healthcare professionals who work in the disaster field confront many challenges to the care of victims of natural disasters. Disaster responders face destroyed physical infrastructures, scarce supplies, and a limited trained peer group. During a mass casualty event, healthcare responders will encounter disaster victims who are triaged to the “expectant” category of care because either their injuries are not survivable or the resources needed to care for them surpass what is available. Responders have not been traditionally trained to administer palliative care in a disaster setting. This commentary examines the challenges that responders face in caring for dying patients in the field and advocates for basic palliative care training prior to deploying to a disaster.