Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Dec 2017
Observational StudyObservational Study on Safety of Prehospital BLS CPAP in Dyspnea.
Introduction Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves outcomes in patients with respiratory distress. Additional benefits are seen with CPAP application in the prehospital setting. ⋯ In Delaware's (USA) two-tiered Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system, BLS often arrives before Advanced Life Support (ALS). Hypothesis This study fills a gap in literature by evaluating the safety of CPAP applied by BLS prior to ALS arrival.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Dec 2017
Management of Diabetic Surgical Patients in a Deployed Field Hospital: A Model for Acute Non-Communicable Disease Care in Disaster.
Sudden onset disasters (SODs) have affected over 1.5 billion of the world's population in the past decade. During the same time, developing nations have faced a sustained increase in the burden of non-communicable disease (NCD) with extra pressure placed on health systems. The combined increase in SODs and the NCD epidemic facing the world's most disaster-prone nations will present new challenges to emergency medical teams (EMTs) during disaster response. ⋯ McDermott KM , Hardstaff RM , Alpen S , Read DJ , Coatsworth NR. Management of diabetic surgical patients in a deployed field hospital: a model for acute non-communicable disease care in disaster. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(6):657-661.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Dec 2017
Utility of Ambulance Data for Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance: A Pilot in the West Midlands Region, United Kingdom.
Introduction The Public Health England (PHE; United Kingdom) Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team (ReSST) currently operates four national syndromic surveillance systems, including an emergency department system. A system based on ambulance data might provide an additional measure of the "severe" end of the clinical disease spectrum. This report describes the findings and lessons learned from the development and preliminary assessment of a pilot syndromic surveillance system using ambulance data from the West Midlands (WM) region in England. Hypothesis/Problem Is an Ambulance Data Syndromic Surveillance System (ADSSS) feasible and of utility in enhancing the existing suite of PHE syndromic surveillance systems?
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Dec 2017
Multicenter StudyAcute Care Referral Systems in Liberia: Transfer and Referral Capabilities in a Low-Income Country.
Introduction Following two decades of armed conflict in Liberia, over 95% of health care facilities were partially or completely destroyed. Although the Liberian health system has undergone significant rehabilitation, one particular weakness is the lack of organized systems for referral and prehospital care. Acute care referral systems are a critical component of effective health care delivery and have led to improved quality of care and patient outcomes. Problem This study aimed to characterize the referral and transfer systems in the largest county of Liberia.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Dec 2017
A Pilot Project Demonstrating that Combat Medics Can Safely Administer Parenteral Medications in the Emergency Department.
Introduction Select units in the military have improved combat medic training by integrating their functions into routine clinical care activities with measurable improvements in battlefield care. This level of integration is currently limited to special operations units. It is unknown if regular Army units and combat medics can emulate these successes. ⋯ Additional quality assurance follow-up occurred via complete chart review by the project lead. Data During the project period, the combat medics administered the following medications: ketamine (n=13), morphine (n=8), ketorolac (n=7), fentanyl (n=5), ondansetron (n=4), and other (n=6). No adverse events or patient safety events were reported by the combat medics or discovered during the quality assurance process.