The Boston Marathon Bombing: Alerted by a Tweet

    Just over two years ago, on April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people and injuring an estimated 264 others. Although unexpected, the time and location of the event was favorable in regards to healthcare response. For one, hospitals were already on standby for marathon runners and numerous medical professionals (doctors, nurses and emergency medical staff) were onsite at the marathon to address the needs of the marathon runners. Secondly, the 1449 EST explosion happened to also be the time of the mid-shift staffing change at surrounding hospitals, nearly doubling the number of medical staff on site.  However, the chaos surrounding the disaster made challenges inevitable.
    One of the major barriers that the trauma hospitals faced was treating unidentified victims. Within minutes of the April 15th bombing, nearby hospitals were inundated with unconscious victims without purses, wallets or family members to identify them. At Brigham Hospital, staff assigned unidentified victims six-digit numbers. However, this system created confusion for the doctors and nurses who continuously had to double and triple check that the test results and medications were going to the right patient. The chaos surrounding the unidentified victims was only exacerbated when frantic and upset family members swarmed hospitals searching for their loved ones. As a result, Brigham Hospital
now identifies anonymous patients using states, colors or the military alphabet.
    One of the most interesting facts that emerged from this disaster in regards to healthcare was the influence of social media. According to a report by The Boston Globe (2013), the hospital staff was alerted to the bombings when a physician at the scene sent a tweet. A fellow colleague and anesthesiologist was alerted of the tweet immediately notified the chief of emergency medicine and the chief of surgery, who promptly responded by canceling elective surgeries, clearing ER rooms and calling in staff members. Thus, social media is now understood to possibly be the most effective early warning system, especially in trauma as every minute counts in preparing trauma teams and operating rooms.
    Social media has not only become a means to communicate and relate information, but it has evolved to be an essential multipurpose tool for various industries. However, in medicine, social media could make the difference between life and death.

Reference

Kowalczyk, L. (2013, July). The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 26, 2015, from http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/07/27/boston