In hospitals, the casualty estimate is approximately how many victims per bed?

• A. 0.5
• B. 1.5
• C. 2.5
• D. 3

Answer: (B)

In mass‑casualty planning, you estimate how many victims a hospital bed can support to gauge surge capacity. About 1.5 victims per bed is a commonly used planning figure because it reflects turnover: a bed can treat a patient for a period, after which that patient is moved, discharged, or transferred, allowing a second patient to use the same bed during the event. At the same time, not every bed is available or dedicated to trauma care (some beds are occupied by nontrauma patients or temporarily unavailable due to staffing or equipment limits). This 1.5 per bed figure provides a practical average for quick planning and patient distribution.

Choosing a number as low as 0.5 would understate capacity, while 2.5 or 3 would overstate what can realistically be accommodated, especially in the chaotic early hours of a mass casualty incident.