Testing Emergency Medical Personnel Response to Patients with Suspected Infectious Disease

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly R. Klein ◽  
Jenny G. Atas ◽  
Jerry Collins
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Health Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Ambulance Personnel ◽  
Disaster Plan ◽  
Emergency Medical Personnel

AbstractObjectives:In the United States (US), hospitals are required to have disaster plans and stage drills to test these plans in order to satisfy the Joint Accreditation Commission of Healthcare Organizations. The focus of this drill was to test if emergency response personnel, both prehospital and hospital, would identify a patient with a potentially communicable infectious disease, and activate their respective disaster plan.Methods:Twelve urban/suburban emergency departments (ED) received patients via car and ambulance. Patients were moulaged to imitate a smallpox infection. Observers with checklists recorded what happened. The drill's endpoints were: (1) predetermined end time; (2) identification of the patient and hospital “lock-down”; and (3) breach of drill protocol.Results:None of the ambulance personnel correctly identified their patients. Of the total 13 mock patients assessed in the ED, seven (54%) were identified by the ED staff as possibly being infected with a highly contagious agent and, in turn, the hospital's bio-agent protocol was initiated. Of the correctly identified patients, five (71%) were placed in isolation, and the remaining two (29%), although not isolated, were identified prior to their ED discharge and the appropriate protocol was activated. The six remaining mock patients (46%) were incorrectly diagnosed and discharged. Of the hospitals that had correctly identified their “infected” patients, only two (29%) followed their notification protocol and contacted the local health department.Conclusion:This drill was successful in identifying this area's shortcomings, highlighted positive reactions, and raised some interesting questions about the ability to detect a patient with a possibly highly contagious disease.

Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Emergency Medical Personnel

2020 ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
L.M. Karamova ◽  
V.O. Krasovskiy ◽  
D.M. Vagapova ◽  
N.V. Vlasova ◽  
A.S. Khafizova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Connective Tissue Disorders ◽  
Ambulance Personnel ◽  
Occupational Risk Factors ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Emergency Medical Personnel

Relevance. The importance of studying and analyzing contribution of occupational risk factors in musculoskeletal disorders among emergency medical personnel is related to high disease incidence rates and work specifics. The objective of our research envisaged formalization of information obtained for the analysis and assessment of occupational risks of developing musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders in ambulance personnel. Results. According to professional medical examination results, musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders ranked second among all diagnosed diseases. The relative risk of developing those disorders was 70% indicating the link between them and transport vibration (category 1) affecting the backbone during long trips in ambulance cars.

The Role of the Physician at a Medical Disaster: Hospital Emergency Response Teams

1986 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 128-132
Author(s):  
Eric Alcouloumre ◽  
Davis Rasumoff
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Hospital Emergency ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Emergency Medical Personnel ◽  
Emergency Medical Response

The Hospital Emergency Response Team concept, as outlined here and in the Multi-Casualty Incident Operational Procedures of the California Fire Chiefs Association, is the result of a consensus effort by all EMS interest groups in Los Angeles. It is an effective way to utilize the skills of emergency medical personnel at the scene of a disaster. The role of the physician is an important one, and this concept was specifically designed to maximize the benefit to be derived from having a physician at the scene. It is important, however, that physicians recognize their limitations; a medical degree does not automatically confer “mystic abilities”in the area of disaster management. The role of the physician should include pre-disaster planning and at-scene patient management responsibilities as a member or leader of a pre-designated hospital-based emergency medical response team.

scholarly journals Geospatial Hotspots Need Point-of-Care Strategies to Stop Highly Infectious Outbreaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 144 (10) ◽  
pp. 1166-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Kost
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Standards Of Care ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Cloud Databases ◽  
Public Health Practitioners

Context.— Point-of-care testing (POCT), diagnostic testing at or near the site of patient care, is inherently spatial, that is, performed at points of need, and also intrinsically temporal, because it produces fast actionable results. Outbreaks generate geospatial “hotspots.” POC strategies help control hotspots, detect spread, and speed treatment of highly infectious diseases. Objectives.— To stop outbreaks, accelerate detection, facilitate emergency response for epidemics, mobilize public health practitioners, enhance community resilience, and improve crisis standards of care. Data Sources.— PubMed, World-Wide Web, newsprint, and others were searched until Coronavirus infectious disease-19 was declared a pandemic, the United States, a national emergency, and Europe, the epicenter. Coverage comprised interviews in Asia, email to/from Wuhan, papers, articles, chapters, documents, maps, flowcharts, schematics, and geospatial-associated concepts. EndNote X9.1 (Clarivate Analytics) consolidated literature as abstracts, ULRs, and PDFs, recovering 136 hotspot articles. More than 500 geospatial science articles were assessed for relevance to POCT. Conclusions.— POCT can interrupt spirals of dysfunction and delay by enhancing disease detection, decision-making, contagion containment, and safe spacing, thereby softening outbreak surges and diminishing risk before human, economic, and cultural losses mount. POCT results identify where infected individuals spread Coronavirus infectious disease-19, when delays cause death, and how to deploy resources. Results in national cloud databases help optimize outbreak control, mitigation, emergency response, and community resilience. The Coronavirus infectious disease-19 pandemic demonstrates unequivocally that governments must support POCT and multidisciplinary healthcare personnel must learn its principles, then adopt POC geospatial strategies, so that onsite diagnostic testing can ramp up to meet needs in times of crisis.

scholarly journals Designing a First Responders’ Emergency Response Kit for Motor-Vehicle Collisions

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
Yuval Bitan ◽  
Amit Shreiber ◽  
Gili Zafon ◽  
Eli Jaffe
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
First Responders ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Motor Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Efficacious Treatment ◽  
Emergency Medical Personnel

Fast, effective, and accurate emergency medical treatment can save lives. Quick access to the specific equipment that emergency medical personnel need facilitates more efficacious treatment during emergencies. This project focuses on designing an improved emergency response kit for medical first responders. The kit currently in use has no organizational standard for the way the medical items it contains are placed inside. With a user-centered method, we designed a kit that better fits first responders’ requirements and found that the kit – a backpack and a vest – is both easier to use and carry, based on emergency care priorities.

Employer Requirements to Work during Emergency Responses: Key Ethics Considerations

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (S1) ◽  
pp. 73-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lainie Rutkow ◽  
Holly A. Taylor ◽  
Tia Powell
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
Emergency Responses

Local health departments and their employees are at the forefront of emergency preparedness and response. Yet, recent studies have found that some local public health workers are unwilling to report to work in a variety of disaster scenarios. This can greatly compromise a response, as many local health departments need “all hands on deck” to effectively meet increased demands. To address these concerns, local health departments have employed varied policy strategies to ensure that employees do report to work. After describing different approaches taken by local health departments throughout the United States, we briefly identify and explore key ethics considerations that arise for local health departments when employees are required to report to work for emergency responses. We then discuss how these ethics considerations may inform local health department practices intended to promote a robust emergency response.

Preparations for Severe Winter Conditions by Emergency Health Personnel in Turkey

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cüneyt Çalışkan ◽  
Aysun Algan ◽  
Hüseyin Koçak ◽  
Burcu Küçük Biçer ◽  
Meltem Şengelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central City ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Severe Winter ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
City Center ◽  
Ambulance Personnel ◽  
Winter Conditions ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Emergency Medical Personnel ◽  
The City

AbstractObjectiveEmergency and core ambulance personnel work under all environmental conditions, including severe weather condtions. We evaluated emergency medical personnel in Çanakkale, Turkey, for their degree of preparedness.MethodsA descriptive study was conducted in Çanakkale, Turkey, within 112 emergency service units and their 17 district stations. Surveys were developed to measure the level of preparedness for serious winter conditions that individual workers made for themselves, their homes, and their cars.ResultsOf the 167 survey participants, the mean age was 29.8 ± 7.9 years; 52.7% were women; more than half (54.75%) were emergency medical technicians; and 53.3% were married. Only 10.4% of those who heated their homes with natural gas had carbon monoxide detectors. Scores relating to household and individual preparation for severe winter conditions increased by participants’ age (P < .003), being married (P < .000) and working in the city center (P < .021); and for men whose cars were equipped with tow ropes, extra clothing, and snow tires (P < .05). Absenteeism was higher for central-city personnel than district workers because they were less prepared for harsh winter conditions (P = .016).ConclusionMany of the surveyed emergency health personel demonstrated insufficient preparations for serious winter conditions. To increase the safety and efficiency of emergency medical personnel, educational training programs should be rountinely conducted. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-4)

scholarly journals Epidemiological Effectiveness and Cost of a Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Response in New River Valley, Virginia: Local Health Department and Clinical Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-46
Author(s):  
Nargesalsadat Dorratoltaj ◽  
Margaret L. O’Dell ◽  
Paige Bordwine ◽  
Thomas M. Kerkering ◽  
Kerry J. Redican ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Local Health Department ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Fungal Meningitis ◽  
Life Years

AbstractObjectiveWe evaluated the effectiveness and cost of a fungal meningitis outbreak response in the New River Valley of Virginia during 2012-2013 from the perspective of the local public health department and clinical facilities. The fungal meningitis outbreak affected 23 states in the United States with 751 cases and 64 deaths in 20 states; there were 56 cases and 5 deaths in Virginia.MethodsWe conducted a partial economic evaluation of the fungal meningitis outbreak response in New River Valley. We collected costs associated with the local health department and clinical facilities in the outbreak response and estimated the epidemiological effectiveness by using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted.ResultsWe estimated the epidemiological effectiveness of this outbreak response to be 153 DALYs averted among the patients, and the costs incurred by the local health department and clinical facilities to be $30,413 and $39,580, respectively.ConclusionsWe estimated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $198 per DALY averted and $258 per DALY averted from the local health department and clinical perspectives, respectively, thereby assisting in impact evaluation of the outbreak response by the local health department and clinical facilities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:38–46)

Geospatial Distribution of Local Health Department Tweets and Online Searches About Ebola During the 2014 Ebola Outbreak

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Wong ◽  
Jenine K. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Health Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Online Search ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Online Searches ◽  
Per Capita

AbstractObjectiveThis study compared the geospatial distribution of Ebola tweets from local health departments (LHDs) to online searches about Ebola across the United States during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.MethodsBetween September and November 2014, we collected all tweets sent by 287 LHDs known to be using Twitter. Coordinates for each Ebola tweet were imported into ArcGIS 10.2.2 to display the distribution of tweets. Online searches with the search term “Ebola” were obtained from Google Trends. A Pearson’s correlation test was performed to assess the relationship between online search activity and per capita number of LHD Ebola tweets by state.ResultsEbola tweets from LHDs were concentrated in cities across the northeast states, including Philadelphia and New York City. In contrast, states with the highest online search queries for Ebola were primarily in the south, particularly Oklahoma and Texas. A weak, negative, non-significant correlation (r=−0.03, P=0.83, 95% CI: −0.30, 0.25) was observed between online search activity and per capita number of LHD Ebola tweets by state.ConclusionsWe recommend that LHDs consider using social media to communicate possible disease outbreaks in a timely manner, and that they consider using online search data to tailor their messages to align with the public health interests of their constituents. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 287–290)

scholarly journals Is Congenital Syphilis Really Congenital Syphilis?

2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Li ◽  
Bernard Gonik
Keyword(s):  
Congenital Syphilis ◽  
Health Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Us ◽  
True Occurrence

Detroit has recently been distinguished as having the highest congenital syphilis rate in the United States (250.3 cases per100 000live births in Detroit versus 10.3 in the US). However, depending on each health department's followup and CDC reporting, these data may not accurately reflect the true congenital syphilis rate. This study examines the reported cases over a three-year time period with focus on the criteria used for diagnosis. All local health department congenital syphilis CDC collection forms (form 73.126) were reviewed for the years in question. The reported congenital syphilis cases in the year 2002–2004 in Detroit were reviewed. No cases met confirmed case criteria and few probable cases were based on neonatal evaluations. The majority of “congenital syphilis” cases were established based on incomplete maternal data such as missing followup serologic titers in the absence of complete neonatal information. In conclusion, although the reported congenital syphilis rate in Detroit is alarmingly high, the true occurrence of congenital syphilis is likely to have been overstated. A health department reporting program that includes more diligent neonatal followup would allow for a more accurate representation of this public health concern.

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