An organizational concept for pathologic identification in mass disasters.

The process of identifying the victims of a mass disaster can be simplified if approached in a logical manner. The organizational concept used by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology divides the process into four phases--preliminary evaluation, data collection, data analysis, and conclusion. Much flexibility is retained within each of these phases to enable general application, but major emphasis centers upon quality control. This control consists of multiple checks during the phases of data collection and analysis and confirmation of each identification by all available methods. An intensive effort must be made to obtain complete antemortem records and descriptions as soon as possible, for no identification will be possible without this comparison data. The values of a logical organizational flow are increased efficiency and accuracy of identification.