Continuous Development of a Major Incident In-Hospital Victim Tracking and Tracing System, Withstanding the Challenges of Time.

Objective: To describe the development of the Patient Barcode Registration System (PBRS) over time and confirm the usability and feasibility of the system's latest version during a large trauma drill.

Methods: The development of a PBRS started around 1993 aiming to provide an effective tool for patient registration, tracking, and tracing during major incidents. The PBRS uses wristbands with barcodes to follow and register patients in the care process.

Hospital Preparations for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Patients and Experience Gained from Admission of an Ebola Patient.

The Major Incident Hospital of the University Medical Centre of Utrecht has a longstanding history of preparing for the management of highly pathogenic and infectious organisms. An assessment of the hospital's preparations for an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic fever and its experience during admission of a patient with Ebola virus disease showed that the use of the buddy system, frequent training, and information sessions for staff and their relatives greatly increased the sense of safety and motivation among staff. Differing procedures among ambulance services limited the number of services used for transporting patients.