Disaster Medicine and Emergency Response

Disaster medicine and emergency response is an interdisciplinary field which focuses on the medical response to large-scale natural disasters, technological or industrial disasters, or complex humanitarian and medical crises. This field seeks to minimize the risk of mortality and morbidity through the preparation for and response to these disasters. It includes topics such as triage, public health preparedness, emergency management, and epidemiology. Disaster medicine and emergency response is increasingly important as the effects of climate change lead to increasing frequency of extreme weather events and as global political tensions lead to more complex conflict zones. With the right preparation, response and disaster management, a reduction in mortality and morbidity during a disaster can be achieved.