Wisconsin medical journal
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Dogs are everywhere. The incidence of and injuries caused by dog bites have grown to such epidemic proportions in certain parts of the United States that they are now considered a major public health concern. Playful Rover is no longer a harmless pet. ⋯ In 49% of all cases, the victims families or neighbors owned the animals involved in the biting. Researchers also observed a significant negative correlation between bites and median household income distribution. Study results suggest a need to educate the public about the magnitude of dog-bite problems, enforce leash laws and impound stray dogs as an integral part of prevention programs.
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The Emergency Medical Systems Advisory Board assessed via questionnaire the needs of Wisconsin prehospital providers. Overall, 323 out of 453 (71.3%) of the services responded to the query. Intermediate and paramedic services were more likely to respond than those prehospital providers offering basic services. ⋯ Rural providers rated difficulty in recruiting new staff and difficulty in collecting ambulance fees as their second and third greatest needs, respectively. Urban providers, meanwhile, indicated difficulty in collecting ambulance fees and access to local training as the second and third top needs, respectively. With the proposed new curriculum for basic EMT services, the needs for local medical direction will be even greater.