Health Consequences and Management of Explosive Events

Explosive events refer to events, either natural or man-made, that occur advertently or accidentally. This article aimed to study epidemiology of explosive events and investigate the health consequences of such events. It also aimed to discuss the prevention and management of these events from a healthcare provision viewpoint.
This descriptive study comprised 2 sections. First, following an extensive review of the literature, a database, containing the related articles was developed. Then, the core research group drafted the first adapted version of the results. Using a Delphi panel methodology, the results were finalized based on the consensus of 11 experts.
Terrorist explosion is the most common type and of ever-growing explosions worldwide. It accounts for the largest proportion of casualties caused by man-made events. Health consequences of explosions can be classified into physical, mental, and social ones, which can appear immediately or a long time after the event and affect individuals, families, and societies.
Because of the wide range and adverse impacts of explosions, healthcare authorities and staff should have a good grasp of preventive principles, as well as protection and management of explosion sites. Besides they have to be familiar with treating the injured. It is recommended that training courses and simulated explosive events be designed and run by the healthcare sector.