Preparation for mass casualty incidents.

Mass casualty incidents are events where the number of injured patients exceeds the resources of the health care institution to the degree that care may not be available or may be limited for a portion of the casualties. Mass casualty incidents are increasing in frequency throughout the United States. Managing mass casualty incidents has not traditionally been part of the nursing curriculum; however, our changing world requires us to become educated and prepared to respond to these scenarios. This article focuses on intentional explosive disasters and the nursing and institutional response to these incidents. This information is of value to nursing professionals and other health care providers.