Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2017
Assessing Disaster Preparedness Among Select Children's Summer Camps in the United States and Canada.
Children's summer camps are at risk for multiple pediatric casualties during a disaster. The degree to which summer camps have instituted disaster preparedness is unknown. We assessed disaster preparedness among selected camps nationally for a range of disasters. ⋯ A substantial proportion of camps were missing critical components of disaster planning. Future interventions must focus on developing summer camp-specific disaster plans, increasing partnerships, and reassessing national disaster plans to include summer camp settings.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2017
Survey of Hospital Employees' Personal Preparedness and Willingness to Work Following a Disaster.
Little is known about the personal readiness of hospital staff for disasters. As many as 30% of hospital staff say that they plan not to report for work during a large-scale disaster. We sought to understand the personal disaster preparedness for hospital staff. ⋯ Despite being employed at the same facility for a prolonged period, employees reported being willing to report for work at a low rate in a variety of disasters. Subjects reported suboptimal personal preparedness for disaster, which may further limit the number of staff who will report for work. Hospitals should promote personal disaster preparedness for staff and explore staffing models with an understanding of reduced staff availability during disasters.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2017
Predictors of 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with Clostridium difficile Infection.
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and is the most common nosocomial infection in the United States, with associated annual costs of approximately $3 billion. The epidemiology of CDI has changed with the identification of novel risk factors for incident and recurrent CDI. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of 30-day mortality in hospitalized patients with CDI. ⋯ Advanced age, Charlson comorbidity index, intensive care unit status, and peptic ulcer disease are predictors of all-cause 30-day mortality in hospitalized patients with CDI.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2017
Implementing a Disaster Preparedness Curriculum for Medical Students.
Training in disaster medicine and preparedness is minimal or absent in the curricula of many medical schools in the United States. Despite a 2003 joint recommendation by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, few medical schools require disaster training for medical students. The challenges of including disaster training in an already rigorous medical school curriculum are significant. We evaluated medical students' experiences with mandatory disaster training during a 2-year period in a medical university setting. ⋯ Our mandatory disaster preparedness training course was successfully integrated into the first-year curriculum >10 years ago and has been well received by students without compromising the existing university curriculum. Integrating interdisciplinary teams and course components important to other education stakeholders may help other schools overcome obstacles to implementing disaster medicine training. Future education research should focus on developing interdisciplinary education to help disseminate disaster medicine topics across all 4 years of medical school.