Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2007
Case ReportsThe use of point-of-care ultrasound by a critical care retrieval team to diagnose acute abdominal aortic aneurysm in the field.
The potential benefit of point-of-care ultrasound by medical retrieval teams is unclear. In the present case report, the diagnosis of an abdominal aortic aneurysm by a critical care retrieval team equipped with a portable ultrasound machine resulted in significant corrective alteration in patient management and subsequent disposition at the receiving institution.
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Avian influenza is a panzootic and recurring human epidemic with pandemic potential. Pandemic requirements for a viral pathogen are: a novel virus must emerge against which the general population has little or no immunity; the new virus must be able to replicate in humans and cause serious illness; and the new virus must be efficiently transmitted from person to person. At present, only the first two conditions have been met. ⋯ Other medical commodities including ventilators, hospital beds and intensive care units remain less well prioritized in national plans. These resources will play virtually no role in care of the overwhelming majority of patients worldwide in a pandemic. Prehospital care, triage and acute care all require additional professional standardization for the high patient volumes anticipated in a pandemic.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2006
Training of disaster managers at a masters degree level: from emergency care to managerial control.
The world has faced huge disasters over the last few decades and concerns have been expressed by nearly all international agencies involved that there is a scarcity of managerial skills to deal with the mitigation and management of disasters. Disaster risks are also on the increase throughout Africa and Southern Africa because of changes in the development process, settlement patterns and conflicts in the region. Emergency physicians are but one important resource in dealing with disasters. ⋯ The MPH is aimed at preparing professionals from health and allied fields to play leadership roles in the management, improvement and evaluation of health and the health-care system. Emergency physicians have an important role to play in the development of disaster medicine and disaster management programmes and it is important that they engage in this activity, collaborating with colleagues of various other disciplines as appropriate. The following paper outlines the background to the programme and the current programme.