Evaluation of a transit first-aid station providing emergency care to former Yugoslavian war victims evacuated in Ancona, Italy

Background: A first-aid station was implemented in Falconara Marittima airp ort (Ancona, Italy). It provided medical emergency care to war victims evac uated from former Yugoslavia in transit for further treatment. Materials an d methods: A descriptive analysis of the displaced population arriving at t he first-aid station was performed using three independent datasets for adm inistrative information, of which one included medical information. The imp lemented resources were also evaluated. Results: From August 1993 to March 1995, 2272 displaced persons were registered at the first-aid station, out of which 54.2% were accompanying family members. Among those needing medica l intervention (45.8% of total), most frequent diagnoses were traumatisms a nd burns (59.8%), neoplasms (15.6%), and congenital malformations (13.2%). The medical care provided at the first-aid station was most often basic: a medical examination alone was performed on 77.0% of the patients, and a min or dressing on 17.3%. Median length of stay was 1 day. Patients were sent t o 30 different countries and 8% were forwarded to the local regional hospit al. Deployed logistical resources exceeded by far actual needs but a lack o f psychological assistance was observed, mainly for children. The agencies involved did not coordinate data sharing and follow-up information. Conclus ions: The medical assistance to the war victims was efficient regarding pro vided care and timeliness. Effectiveness of such a programme could be impro ved by a better coordination between partners, allowing more adequate logis tics according to appropriate epidemiological information.