Innovation in medical surge capacity during the 2026 Venezuela earthquake response: operationalising a Specialised Care Team for Emergency Remote Clinical Support
Adaptability is a hallmark of disaster response. A first-time innovation within the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) framework was developed as part of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)-supported response to the 2026 Venezuelan earthquakes: the operationalisation of a Specialised Care Team for Emergency Remote Clinical Support (SCT-ERCS). This initiative, now formalised as a framework agreement between PAHO and the Panamerican Trauma Society, holds promise for expanding remote medical consultation in future disasters (Fig.
Authors
- Zelde Espinel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7348-4569)
- Antonio Marttos
- James M. Shultz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3279-5533)
- Elizabeth A. Greig
- Michael J. Kelley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9523-6080)
- Carl Ivan Schulman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8899-4350)
- Salma Hernandez
- Enrique Ginzburg
- Barth A. Green
- Luis de la Fuente Martin
Institutions
- University of Miami (US)
- Jackson Memorial Hospital (US)
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas (US)
- University of Miami Health System (US)
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- EClinicalMedicine
- Published
- 2026-10-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104283
- Primary Topic
- Disaster Response and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00