Lessons From Boston's Emergency Response One Year Ago

From the earliest days after the bombings, it's been clear that the actions of the city's emergency response services was remarkable.

There were lots of factors: a city infrastructure than included five of the world's top trauma centers, the timing of the attack, which occurred during a shift change when numerous extra nurses and doctors were on-hand and the expert response of trained professionals at the finish line and in operating rooms around the city.

The British medical journal, The Lancet, called Boston's performance that day "rapid, exceedingly well-orchestrated and inspiring." But what could have been done differently? What does the response look like one year later? And are there any transferable lessons for other cities from a response that seems so unique to a specific time and place, one year ago?

James Hooley, chief of the Boston Emergency Medical Service.

Alik Farber, chief of vascular surgery at Boston Medical Center.

Arthur Kellerman, dean of the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is also co-author of a review of the Boston medical response.

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