Medical tent
A medical tent is a tent for the temporary accommodation and treatment of patients . It is part of a treatment center or a field hospital . Medical tents are used in the military or for humanitarian aid as well as in the event of mass casualties or as part of planned medical watch services at events.
Medical tents are also used to accommodate uninjured victims of a disaster or refugees ( accommodation tents), and tent cities are often set up for several hundred or even thousands of people. They can also be used for organizational tasks (e.g. as weather protection for the operations management team , command tent ).
In the military sector, tents are increasingly being replaced by containers ; this trend can also be seen in the medical guard service of aid organizations.
The equipment of a medical tent includes emergency medical material , camp beds , blankets, lighting and heating equipment and much more , depending on the area of application .
The crew for a medical tent depends on the task, usually several paramedics and emergency doctors work here.
Types
Common sizes are 15, 20, 30 and 50 square meters. These are also referred to as SG-20, SG-30, SG-50 and SG-200 to SG-500. The latter have a higher cross-section.
The usual design of the medical tent is the SG tent (pole frame tent ) or the inflatable tent , also known as a support air tent (TLZ), rapid deployment tent (SEZ) or inflatable rescue tent (ARZ).
differences
The main advantage of the inflatable tent is the speed in which it is set up. However, this always requires an air supply in the form of a fuel or electrically operated fan / compressor, a compressed air cylinder or a manual air pump. The time to set up depends heavily on the device used: times of a few minutes are achieved with compressed air from cylinders, 5 to 30 minutes can be required with compressors (depending on the volume output), with hand air pumps it can take even longer. In contrast, an SG tent with a trained team can be fully set up in about ten minutes without any additional accessories.
The number of helpers is hardly a differentiating factor, since several people are required even with the inflatable tent: already to carry the heavy tent and then in addition to operating the air supply to ensure correct deployment.
A disadvantage of the inflatable tent is that the pressure in the tubes has to be maintained. With some types of tent, the fan has to run continuously, with others, closing a valve is sufficient at least for the time when not too much air escapes through leaks (usually several hours or days).
Dismantling and properly folding the inflatable tent usually takes longer than packing an SG tent.
Application area
The available space in a medical tent must not be overestimated. A single first aid tent serves more as a first aid station or as a (small) accident relief center as part of a medical guard service for a few patients at the same time.
In the context of a treatment center for several patients, a single medical tent is usually used either as a triage or as a treatment area until the start of transport or as a monitoring area for the dying. The equipment and the number or qualification of medical personnel are based on this:
Triage area
The focus here is on the rapid assessment of patients and the classification into viewing categories , not the treatment. Primary items of equipment are therefore trestles for stretchers, seating (for ambulatory patients), examination equipment and documentation material ( injured person cards , lists, writing pads).
Experienced sifters with a high level of training (paramedics, doctors) as well as helpers to assist the patient as well as for organization and documentation are used as staff.
Treatment area
For the slightly injured / ill
In the treatment area for the lightly injured, there should be several seating options for some of the beds. Medical treatment is mainly limited to covering wounds, splinting broken bones and providing psychological support. Since it cannot be ruled out that someone might collapse, at least one emergency equipment should be available here as well.
A more highly qualified helper (emergency paramedic, paramedic) can look after several patients with the help of assistants, mostly rescue workers, paramedics and paramedics.
For seriously injured / sick people
In the treatment area for the seriously injured, life-sustaining emergency medicine measures are the main focus, whereby it should also be noted that the time to the start of the transport or to the arrival at the hospital in the event of a mass casualty can be significantly longer than in the normal everyday life of the rescue service. This means that robust basic measures may have to be used here as well. Intubation in an unconscious person makes z. For example, controlled ventilation is necessary, but this in turn ties up material and personnel - the same purpose can perhaps be achieved more resource-efficiently by lying on your side .
In addition to trestles for stretchers (in order to have a comfortable working height), the equipment here primarily includes infusion solutions for volume replacement, oxygen supply, pain medication and monitoring devices (ECG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure monitors) and, in principle, emergency medical equipment for ambulances .
The staff should have the usual rescue service qualifications (emergency doctor, paramedic, paramedic and, if necessary, rescue workers). Such a rescue team is comparable to the crew of an ambulance or ambulance and can care for one or two patients in this category, the space requirement is high because further organizational aids are required (carrying aid, catching up equipment, refilling of infusion supplies, etc.). That is why efficient organization of work processes is crucial here.
For the dying
A special area is the room for dying patients. In major cases of damage, it can happen that a decision has to be made for individual patients not to offer them any further help. This will especially happen in patients who normally do not have a realistic chance of survival.
Infusions and pain relievers are mainly used in this area.
The staff should be experienced enough and trained in dealing with the subject area, supported by emergency chaplains and crisis intervention .