Social Psychological and Behavioral Responses to a Nuclear Detonation in a US City Implications for Healthcare Planning and Delivery

The authors reviewed literature on human responses to radiation incidents and disasters in general, with a focus on behavioral health care provider (BHCP) contributions in the hours and days after a nuclear detonation. They listed the following six broad categories of interventions: promoting appropriate protective actions, discouraging dangerous behaviors, managing patient/survivor flow to facilitate the best use of scarce resources, supporting first responders, assisting with triage, and delivering palliative care when appropriate. The authors also shared recommendations regarding response and recovery phase BHCP interventions.