Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jul 2001
Comparative StudyA comparison of rural and urban Emergency Medical System (EMS) personnel: a Texas study.
In treating accident victims, actions by the Emergency Medical Personnel (EMP) at the scene may be the difference between life or death, full recovery or permanent disability. Development of selected profiles based on locale of services, tenure, and paramedic certification will provide valuable insight into the diversity within the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) profession. Not only will these profiles enable administrators to improve their recruitment, training, and retention of the emergency medical workforce, it potentially could enhance the quality of health care in the community. ⋯ In Texas, locale of service (urban or rural), length of tenure as an EMP (> or = 9 years), and paramedic certification appear to be significant factors that define the EMP population in Texas.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jul 2001
Mass gathering medicine: a predictive model for patient presentation and transport rates.
This paper reports on research into the influence of environmental factors (including crowd size, temperature, humidity, and venue type) on the number of patients and the patient problems presenting to first-aid services at large, public events in Australia. Regression models were developed to predict rates of patient presentation and of transportation-to-a-hospital for future mass gatherings. ⋯ Several features of the event environment influence patient presentation rates, and that the prediction of patient load at these events is complex and multifactorial. The use of regression modeling and close attention to existing historical data for an event can improve planning and the provision of health care services at mass gatherings.