@article{Atliev_Kostadinov_2020, title={EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE MEDICAL SUPPORT IN CASE OF MASS CASUALTIES INCIDENTS, DISASTERS, ACCIDENTS AND CRISES}, volume={41}, url={https://ikm.mk/ojs/index.php/kij/article/view/750}, abstractNote={<p>Introduction Emergency departments are a core asset of the Unified Rescue System of Bulgaria. In case of any incident in which there are victims, a team of the Center for Emergency Medical Aid (CEMA) is called to provide first medical aid and, if necessary (in case of emergency), medical evacuation of the casualties. Each such medical evacuation has as its destination the nearest emergency department, because it has units for providing emergency, life-saving assistance to the casualty.<br>In the event of mass casualties’ events, disasters, crises and catastrophes, very often some of the casualties are transported with the available vehicles near the affected area, which are not part of the CEMA and are not equipped and cleared for medical evacuation. Such means are used to accelerate the transportation of the casualties and are especially common when for objective reasons (remoteness from the settlement, difficult terrain, difficult traffic and / or natural conditions, etc.) their evacuation by specialized transport is impossible or not feasible. Evacuation with any available vehicle is also undertaken in the presence of a threat of continued impact from damaging factors - such as an accident in an industrial plant, a blazing fire, a radiation incident, tidal waves or the danger of additional structures and / or landslides in earthquakes. Anyone who transports a victim will logically go to the nearest medical facility, for which he is confident that urgent help will be provided to the casualty, namely facility open and receiving 24 hours/7 days a week - emergency departments.<br>The purpose of this study is to analyze the challenges that need to be addressed by emergency workers in the medical aid provision to all in need in case of mass casualties’ events, disasters, accidents and crises.<br>The possibilities of the descriptive and comparative methods are applied to analyze the main groups of challenges arising from the complex and dynamically changing medical environment created by disasters, accidents and catastrophes.<br>As a result of the conducted studies, the most frequently registered challenges are grouped according to the type of measures that need to be taken by the medical teams as a matter of urgency in order to ensure adequate and effective emergency care for everyone in need.</p>}, number={3}, journal={KNOWLEDGE - International Journal }, author={Atliev, Kiril and Kostadinov, Rostislav}, year={2020}, month={Aug.}, pages={619–624} }