Access to needed records, including paper patient records, is a “very challenging if not impossible task” under the structure of the NDMS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he said.
The data could help experts assess whether medical teams responded as efficiently as they could have, were in the right locations, and had the correct supplies, among other issues.
As recovery continues, the experiences from Katrina offer myriad opportunities for improvement of medical disaster response, Dr. Weinstein said. “There's a lot to learn here in a nonpunitive manner,” he said.
Dr. Hirshon agreed. “I think we need to be cautious in criticizing what went on [during Katrina], because there's still a lot of learning that needs to be done and a lot of understanding of what's going on,” he cautioned. “This is such an unusual event.”