Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Dec 2010
Comparative StudyA modified sequential organ failure assessment score for critical care triage.
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score has been recommended for triage during a mass influx of critically ill patients, but it requires laboratory measurement of 4 parameters, which may be impractical with constrained resources. We hypothesized that a modified SOFA (MSOFA) score that requires only 1 laboratory measurement would predict patient outcome as effectively as the SOFA score. ⋯ The MSOFA predicts mortality as well as the SOFA and is easier to implement in resource-constrained settings, but using either score as a triage tool would exclude many patients who would otherwise survive.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Dec 2010
Survey of New York veterinarians to assess needs for public health preparedness training.
Because most bioterrorist disease agents are zoonotic, veterinarians are important partners in preparedness. New York State is a prime port of entry and has a network of health and emergency management agencies for response. However, knowledge and participation by veterinarians has not yet been assessed. ⋯ Inducements, such as earning continuing education credits, or the development of active networks of preparedness organizations, state and local health departments, and veterinary schools are needed to deliver emergency preparedness training and information efficiently to veterinarians.