Prehospital and disaster medicine
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Aug 2011
Impact of wireless electronic medical record system on the quality of patient documentation by emergency field responders during a disaster mass-casualty exercise.
The use of wireless, electronic, medical records and communications in the prehospital and disaster field is increasing. ⋯ In a simulated, mass-casualty field exercise, documentation and tracking of victim status including acuity was significantly improved when using a wireless, field electronic medical record system compared to the use of conventional paper methods.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Aug 2011
ReviewFebruary 2009 airplane crash at amsterdam schiphol airport: an overview of injuries and patient distribution.
The objective of this study was to describe the injuries and distribution of casualties resulting from the crash of Turkish Airlines flight TK 1951 near Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands on 25 of February 2009. ⋯ Although the accident was in an urban area, there was a significant delay between the time of the accident and the arrival of the casualties at hospital emergency departments. The Turkish Airlines crash provides extensive information for research into mass-casualty or disaster management, triage, plane crash injuries, and survivability. The "Medical Research Turkish Airlines Crash" (MOTAC) study group currently is investigating several of these issues.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Aug 2011
Factors associated with willingness to respond to a disaster: a study of healthcare workers in a tertiary setting.
Due to recent disasters, disaster planners increasingly are focusing on healthcare worker preparedness and response in the event of a disaster. In this study, factors associated with pediatric healthcare workers' willingness to respond are identified. ⋯ Number of dependents and resources were major factors in willingness to respond. Healthcare facilities must clearly communicate their disaster plans as well as any provisions they may make for their employees' families in order to improve willingness among hospital employees.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jun 2011
End-tidal CO2 as a predictor of survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The objective of this study was to evaluate initial end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) as a predictor of survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ An initial EtCO2 >10 and the absence of a falling EtCO2 >25% from baseline were significantly associated with achieving ROSC in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. These additional variables should be incorporated in termination of resuscitation algorithms in the prehospital setting.
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Prehosp Disaster Med · Jun 2011
Disaster health-related challenges and requirements: a grounded theory study in Iran.
Despite frequent disasters caused by natural hazards, concern has been raised regarding the effectiveness of disaster health services in disaster-prone countries such as Iran. The purpose of this study was to explore, in relation to health disaster management, the experiences and perceptions of individuals who responded or were affected by a recent Iranian earthquake disaster. ⋯ This study supports the value of health service managers coordinating the appropriate use of international aid in advance. It is suggested that this can be done by better communication with local and foreign constituents. Further, this study indicates that public education and proper pre-event planning help to bring about an effective response to providing healthcare services during a disaster.