CDP continues work on medical ‘Overwhelming Trauma Events’ course

Work continues on development of the Center for Domestic Preparedness’ Medical Response to Overwhelming, No-Notice Trauma Events Course.

COVID-19 has prevented a working group of U.S. medical professionals from meeting to further mold the offering, including those who treated victims of the 2013 Boston Bombing and the mass casualty shooting events in Orlando, in 2016, and Las Vegas, in 2017.  However, CDP curriculum developers have pressed forward and created “about 260 detailed patient presentations for mass trauma exercises that will be part of the course, as well as other instructional material,” according to Roy Marlow, a senior member of the team.

“Our plan is to advance course development to the extent possible, so we are prepared once our external partners are in a position to safely collaborate again,” he added. 

The two-day resident course, which the CDP is also creating with the help of the Department of Health and Human Services and several medical associations, will initially focus on the management of a patient surge in emergency and surgical departments, while future iterations may include additional sites in a medical facility, such as intensive care units or alternate treatment areas. 

Once complete, this will bring to 13 the total number of CDP-produced resident medical and healthcare courses in its training catalog.

For a list of all courses offered by the CDP, visit https://cdp.dhs.gov.