Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 1993
Vital signs records omissions on prehospital patient encounter forms.
A reported in-field, prospective evaluation of 227 prehospital patient assessments by advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical technicians (EMTs) found a frequent failure to measure vital signs. The objective of this retrospective review was to report the omission frequency of vital signs found in a centralized emergency medical services (EMS) data collection system. ⋯ This study found a frequent failure by non-metropolitan basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) EMTs to record vital signs on prehospital emergency patient encounter forms. It supports a previous report of direct in-field observations of ALS EMTs failing to measure vital signs during patient assessment. The impact of vital sign omissions upon individual patient care can be assessed only by receiving medical control physicians. In the absence of effective emergency physician networking, the statewide magnitude of the problem among BLS and ALS EMTs has not been recognized as a system issue.
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To characterize the prevalence and morbidity of injuries to emergency medical technicians EMTs) in New England [United States]. ⋯ This survey begins to characterize the occupational risks of EMTs. The prevalence of back injuries, assault, stress, and extremity injuries seems to be too high. Educational programs and preventive interventions should be designed to minimize back injuries, stress, and assault. There is a need for more research nationwide in order to better characterize these injuries.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 1993
Telemedicine and international disaster response: medical consultation to Armenia and Russia via a Telemedicine Spacebridge.
The Telemedicine Spacebridge, a satellite-mediated, audio-video-fax link between four United States and two Armenian and Russian medical centers, permitted remote American consultants to assist Armenian and Russian physicians in the management of medical problems following the December 1988 earthquake in Armenia and the June 1989 gas explosion near Ufa. ⋯ These results suggest that interactive consultation by remote specialists can provide valuable assistance to on-site physicians and favorably influence clinical decisions in the aftermath of major disasters.