Prehospital and disaster medicine
-
Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 2005
Triage decisions of United Kingdom police firearms officers using a multiple-casualty scenario paper exercise.
British police officers authorized to carry firearms may need to make judgments about the severity of injury of individuals or the relative priority of clinical need of a group of injured patients in tactical and non-tactical situations. Most of these officers receive little or no medical training beyond basic first aid to enable them to make these clinical decisions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the accuracy of triage decision-making of firearms-trained police officers with and without printed decision-support materials. ⋯ It appears that significant improvements in the accuracy of triage decision-making by police firearms officers can be achieved with the use of appropriate triage decision-support materials. Training may offer additional improvements in accuracy, but this improvement is likely to be small when decision-support materials are provided. With basic clinical skills and appropriate decision-support materials, it is likely that the police officer can make accurate triage decisions in a multiple-casualty scenario or make judgments of the severity of injury of a given individual in both tactical and non-tactical situations.
-
Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 2005
Review Comparative StudyEffects of prehospital spinal immobilization: a systematic review of randomized trials on healthy subjects.
To evaluate the effects of spinal immobilization on healthy participants. ⋯ Data from this review provide the best available evidence to support the well-recognized efficacy and potential adverse effects of spinal immobilization. However, comparisons of different immobilization strategies on trauma victims must be considered in order to establish an evidence base for this practice.
-
Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 2005
ReviewInformation technology and public health management of disasters--a model for South Asian countries.
This paper highlights the use of information technology (IT) in disaster management and public health management of disasters. Effective health response to disasters will depend on three important lines of action: (1) disaster preparedness; (2) emergency relief; and (3) management of disasters. This is facilitated by the presence of modern communication and space technology, especially the Internet and remote sensing satellites. ⋯ The creation of such an infrastructure will enable the rapid transfer of information, data, knowledge, and online connectivity from top officials to the grassroots organizations, and also among these countries regionally. This Model may be debated, modified, and tested further in the field to suit the national and local conditions. It is hoped that this exercise will result in a viable and practical model for use in public health management of disasters by South Asian countries.
-
Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 2005
The incident command system in disasters: evaluation methods for a hospital-based exercise.
No universally accepted methods for objective evaluation of the function of the Incident Command System (ICS) in disaster exercises currently exist. An ICS evaluation method for disaster simulations was derived and piloted. ⋯ A structured, objective, quantitative evaluation of ICS function can identify deficiencies that can become the focus for subsequent improvement efforts.
-
Prehosp Disaster Med · Jan 2005
Current status of International Emergency Medicine fellowships in the United States.
A consensus panel of Emergency Physicians with experience in international health has published a recommended curriculum for a formal fellowship in International Emergency Medicine. This article reviews the current International Emergency. Medicine (IEM) fellowships available to residency-trained Emergency Physicians in the United States. ⋯ Opportunities in formal training in international health are increasing for graduates of EM residencies in the United States. The proposed curriculum for IEM fellowships seems to have been implemented and graduates of IEM fellowships seem to be applying their training in international projects.