Health care delivery in the high-stress environment of chemical and biological warfare

Understanding health care delivery in high-stress environments, such as the chemical and biological warfare (CBW) environment, is important to developing better procedures for providing health care to individuals and groups exposed to this and other traumas and disasters. Little is known about the behavioral and psychological responses affecting health and performance in the CBW environment. In this paper, we report preliminary observations of the behavioral and psychological responses of a health care delivery exercise occurring over 1 week in a simulated CBW environment. Results suggest that responses to the CBW environment will include: claustrophobia, difficulties with masks, overheating, feelings of having failed, increased risk associated with dedication to the group, dehydration secondary to alcohol use, failure to recognize danger, and anxiety.