Streamlining of Medical Relief to Areas Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake with the “Area-based/Line-linking Support System”

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 614-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Yamanouchi ◽  
Tadashi Ishii ◽  
Kazuma Morino ◽  
Hajime Furukawa ◽  
Atsushi Hozawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Support System ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Great East Japan Earthquake ◽  
Wide Area ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Line System ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Medical Relief

AbstractIntroductionWhen disasters that affect a wide area occur, external medical relief teams play a critical role in the affected areas by helping to alleviate the burden caused by surging numbers of individuals requiring health care. Despite this, no system has been established for managing deployed medical relief teams during the subacute phase following a disaster.After the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the Ishinomaki Medical Zone was the most severely-affected area. Approximately 6,000 people died or were missing, and the immediate evacuation of approximately 120,000 people to roughly 320 shelters was required. As many as 59 medical teams came to participate in relief activities. Daily coordination of activities and deployment locations became a significant burden to headquarters. The Area-based/Line-linking Support System (Area-Line System) was thus devised to resolve these issues for medical relief and coordinating activities.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed to examine the effectiveness of the medical relief provided to evacuees using the Area-Line System with regards to the activities of the medical relief teams and the coordinating headquarters. The following were compared before and after establishment of the Area-Line System: (1) time required at the coordinating headquarters to collect and tabulate medical records from shelters visited; (2) time required at headquarters to determine deployment locations and activities of all medical relief teams; and (3) inter-area variation in number of patients per team.ResultsThe time required to collect and tabulate medical records was reduced from approximately 300 to 70 minutes/day. The number of teams at headquarters required to sort through data was reduced from 60 to 14. The time required to determine deployment locations and activities of the medical relief teams was reduced from approximately 150 hours/month to approximately 40 hours/month. Immediately prior to establishment of the Area-Line System, the variation of the number of patients per team was highest. Variation among regions did not increase after establishment of the system.ConclusionThis descriptive analysis indicated that implementation of the Area-Line System, a systematic approach for long-term disaster medical relief across a wide area, can increase the efficiency of relief provision to disaster-stricken areas.YamanouchiS,IshiiT,MorinoK,FurukawaH,HozawaA,OchiS,KushimotoS.Streamlining of medical relief to areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake with the “Area-based/Line-linking Support System.”Prehosp Disaster Med.2014;29(6):1-9.

Indexing for Healthcare Biometric Databases

2019 ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Kamlesh Tiwari ◽  
Geetika Arora ◽  
Phalguni Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Identity Theft ◽  
Search Space ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
System Increase ◽  
Personalized Services ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Time Required

The healthcare industry offers highly personalized services to its patients. It is necessary to correctly identify the patient and efficiently link his medical records as and when needed. It is important to note that the need of identification arises in many desperate scenarios when the patient may not be able to tell anything about himself. Biometrics can help in this scenario by using physiological or behavioral characteristics. Some of the biometrics traits could be acquired without direct participation of the person, and therefore, the patient need not provide any pin, password, or token for his identification. Biometrics can handle challenges of duplicate medical records and identity theft. However, there is an important issue that may arise when a large number of patients get registered to the system. Increase in the size of the biometric database gradually escalates the time required for identification. This calls for the need of an efficient indexing approach that can confine the search space and decrease the response time. This chapter highlights biometric indexing approaches suitable for the healthcare industry.

Resource Utilization in the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care University-Based Hospital in Tokyo Before and After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 515-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Shimada ◽  
Aska Tanabe ◽  
Masataka Gunshin ◽  
Robert H. Riffenburgh ◽  
David A. Tanen
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Resource Utilization ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Great East Japan Earthquake ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Patient Acuity ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Laboratory Utilization

AbstractIntroductionThe objective of this study was to determine the resource utilization of a tertiary care Japanese emergency department (ED) that was not immediately adjacent to the area of the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami.MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed at a tertiary care university-based urban ED located approximately 290 km from the primary site of destruction secondary to an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale and the resulting tsunami. All patients who presented for a period of twelve days before and twelve days after the disaster were included. Data were collected using preformed data collection sheets, and stored in an Excel file. Abstracted data included gender, time in the ED, intravenous fluid administration, blood transfusion, oxygen, laboratories, electrocardiograms (ECGs), radiographs, ultrasound, diagnoses, surgical and medical referrals, and prescriptions written. Ten percent of the charts were reviewed for accuracy, and an error rate reported. Data were analyzed using 2-tailed t-tests, Fisher's exact tests or rank sum tests. Bonferroni correction was used to adjust P values for multiple comparisons.ResultsCharts for 1193 patients were evaluated. The error rate for the abstracted data was 3.2% (95% CI, 2.4%-4.1%). Six hundred fifty-seven patients (53% male) were evaluated in the ED after the earthquake, representing a 23% increase in patient volume. Mean patient time spent in the ED decreased from 61 minutes to 52 minutes (median decrease from 35 minutes to 32 minutes; P = .005). Laboratory utilization decreased from 51% to 43% (P = .006). The percentage of patients receiving prescriptions increased from 48% to 54% (P = .002). There was no change in the number of patients evaluated for surgical complaints, but there was an increase in the number treated for medical or psychiatric complaints.ConclusionThere was a significant increase in the number of people utilizing the ED in Tokyo after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. Time spent in the ED was decreased along with laboratory utilization, possibly reflecting decreased patient acuity. This information may help in the allocation of national resources when planning for disasters.ShimadaM, TanabeA, GunshinM, RiffenburghRH, TanenDA. Resource utilization in the emergency department of a tertiary care university-based hospital in Tokyo before and after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):1-4.

Analysis of Deliberate Self-Wrist-Cutting Episodes Presenting to the Emergency Department

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Kim ◽  
Han Joon Kim ◽  
Soo Hyun Kim ◽  
Sang Hoon Oh ◽  
Kyu Nam Park
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Psychiatric Interview ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Completed Suicide ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Group A ◽  
Efficacy Of Treatment

Abstract. Background: Previous suicide attempts increase the risk of a completed suicide. However, a large proportion of patients with deliberate self-wrist cutting (DSWC) are often discharged without undergoing a psychiatric interview. Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate the differences in the characteristics and outcomes of patients with DSWC and those with deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) episodes. The results of this study may be used to improve the efficacy of treatment for DSWC patients. Method: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 598 patients with DSWC and DSP who were treated at the emergency department of Seoul Saint Mary's Hospital between 2008 and 2013. We assessed sociodemographic information, clinical variables, the reasons for the suicide attempts, and the severity of the suicide attempts. Results: A total of 141 (23.6%) patients were included in the DSWC group, and 457 (76.4%) were included in the DSP group. A significantly greater number of patients in the DSWC group had previously attempted suicide (p = .014). A total of 63 patients (44.7%) in the DSWC group and 409 patients (89.5%) in the DSP group underwent psychiatric interviews. Conclusion: More DSWC patients had previously attempted suicide, but fewer of them underwent psychiatric interviews compared with the DSP patients.

Assessment of Risk Factors for Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Iranian Patients

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Medication History ◽  
Epidemiological Features ◽  
Hookah Smoking ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Iranian Patients

Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a major concern for those who are more vulnerable to infections. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the most important risk factors for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: This retrospective study included information on clinical and epidemiological features of 105 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia hospitalized in Tajrish Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Initially, the medical records of the patients were investigated, and an interview was conducted based on a pre-prepared checklist to seek information about symptoms, past medical history, medication history, and behavior before hospitalization. Results: Out of 105 participants, 76 (72.5%) cases were male, and 54 (51.4%) patients were older than 54 years old. The majority of the patients (n=18; 17.1%) had both hypertension and diabetes (n=12; 11.4%). Metformin (n=36; 34.3%) was the most used medication amongst the studied patient. In addition, 24 (22.9%) patients were recreational hookah smokers, and the majority (75%) of them were under the age of 46 years old. Eventually, 19 patients were excluded from the study, of whom 11 individuals had diabetes, and 10 cases were using metformin. Conclusion: Apparently, hookah smoking played a critical role in the spread of COVID-19 in Iran and has made younger people more susceptible. In addition to older age, the immunosuppressive effects of Metformin seem to make diabetic patients with an impaired immune system more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 pneumonia. More studies on the immune system of vulnerable individuals by identifying their differences can help to protect them.

Real-World Experience of Telbivudine and Lamivudine as Antiviral Prophylaxis for Chemotherapy-Related Hepatitis B Reactivation

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Lianda Siregar ◽  
Imelda Maria Loho ◽  
Agus Sudiro Waspodo ◽  
Siti Nadliroh ◽  
Rahmanandhika Swadari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Hbv Dna ◽  
Hbv Reactivation ◽  
Lamivudine Therapy ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Good Treatment Option ◽  
Hbs Ag

Background: There is currently no data regarding the efficacy of prophylactic telbivudine in hepatitis B patients undergoing chemotherapy. This study aims to describe the results of preemptive telbivudine and lamivudine to prevent chemotherapy-related HBV reactivation.Methods: The medical records of all patients with HBsAg positive or HBs-Ag negative, anti-HBc positive, who were referred to the hepatology clinic between May 2014 and December 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. As this is a descriptive study, no statistical analysis was done.Results: A total of 52 patients with prophylactic telbivudine or lamivudine therapy were included, with 26 patients in each group. Rituximab-based treatment was given in nine and five patients in the telbivudine and lamivudine group, respectively. The number of patients who completed antiviral treatment up to six months after chemotherapy was 17 patients in each group. There was less incidence of HBV reactivation in the telbivudine group (2 of 17 patients, 11.8%) than in the lamivudine group (7 of 17 patients, 41.2%). Delayed reactivation was noticed in 1 of 2 patients in the telbivudine group and 3 of 7 patients in the lamivudine group. The median log10[HBV DNA] at reactivation was 4.52 (1.70 – 8.35) IU/mL. Severe hepatitis was observed in two patients in the lamivudine group and one patient in the telbivudine group. Of 34 patients who completed antiviral treatment, two patients died due to primary cancer. No interruption of chemotherapy or mortality due to hepatitis was noticed in both groups.Conclusions: Preemptive telbivudine or lamivudine in HBsAg positive or HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive patients seems to be a good treatment option.

Clinic Time Required for Remote and In-person Management of Cardiac Device Patients: A Time and Motion Workflow Evaluation (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lanctin ◽  
Eliana Biundo ◽  
Marco Di Bacco ◽  
Sarah Rosemas ◽  
Emmanuelle Nicolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Management ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Staff Time ◽  
Cardiac Device ◽  
Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices ◽  
Time And Motion ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Time Requirements ◽  
Time Required

BACKGROUND The number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is growing, creating substantial workload for device clinics. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to characterize the workflow and quantify clinic staff time requirements to manage CIED patients. METHODS A time and motion workflow evaluation was performed in 11 US and European CIED clinics. Workflow tasks were repeatedly timed during one business week of observation at each clinic. Observations were inclusive of all device models/manufacturers present. Mean cumulative staff time required to review a Remote device transmission and for an In-person clinic visit were calculated, including all necessary clinical and administrative tasks. Annual staff time for follow-up of 1 CIED patient was modeled using CIED transmission volumes, clinical guidelines, and published literature. RESULTS A total of 276 in-person clinic visits and 2,173 remote monitoring activities were observed. Mean staff time required per remote transmission ranged from 9.4-13.5 minutes for therapeutic devices (pacemaker, ICD, CRT) and 11.3-12.9 mins for diagnostic devices (insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs)). Mean staff time per in-person visit ranged from 37.8-51.0 mins and 39.9-45.8 mins, for therapeutic devices and ICMs respectively. Including all remote and in-person follow-ups, the estimated annual time to manage one CIED patient ranged from 1.6-2.4 hours for therapeutic devices and 7.7-9.3 hours for ICMs. CONCLUSIONS CIED patient management workflow is complex and requires significant staff time. Understanding process steps and time requirements informs implementation of efficiency improvements, including remote solutions. Future research should examine the heterogeneity in patient management processes to identify the most efficient workflows.

A Decision Support System for the Treatment of Patients with Ventricular Assist Device Support

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (02) ◽  
pp. 121-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Karvounis ◽  
M. G. Tsipouras ◽  
A. T. Tzallas ◽  
N. S. Katertsidis ◽  
K. Stefanou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Decision Support System ◽  
Support System ◽  
Independent Solution ◽  
Exercise Intolerance ◽  
Ventricular Assist Devices ◽  
Circulatory Support ◽  
Ventricular Performance ◽  
Ventricular Assist ◽  
Number Of Patients

SummaryBackground: Heart failure (HF) is affecting millions of people every year and it is characterized by impaired ventricular performance, exercise intolerance and shortened life expectancy. Despite significant advancements in drug therapy, mortality of the disease remains excessively high, as heart transplant remains the gold standard treatment for end-stage HF when no contraindications subsist. Traditionally, implanted Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) have been employed in order to provide circulatory support to patients who cannot survive the waiting time to transplantation, reducing the workload imposed on the heart. In many cases that process could recover its contractility performance.Objectives: The SensorART platform focuses on the management and remote treatment of patients suffering from HF. It provides an inter-operable, extendable and VAD-independent solution, which incorporates various hardware and software components in a holistic approach, in order to improve the quality of the patients’ treatment and the workflow of the specialists. This paper focuses on the description and analysis of Specialist’s Decision Support System (SDSS), an innovative component of the SensorART platform.Methods: The SDSS is a Web-based tool that assists specialists on designing the therapy plan for their patients before and after VAD implantation, analyzing patients’ data, extracting new knowledge, and making informative decisions.Results: SDSS offers support to medical and VAD experts through the different phases of VAD therapy, incorporating several tools covering all related fields; Statistics, Association Rules, Monitoring, Treatment, Weaning, Speed and Suction Detection.Conclusions: SDSS and its modules have been tested in a number of patients and the results are encouraging.

A Literature Review of Medical Record Keeping by Foreign Medical Teams in Sudden Onset Disasters

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anisa J. N. Jafar ◽  
Ian Norton ◽  
Fiona Lecky ◽  
Anthony D. Redmond
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Medical Record ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Sudden Onset ◽  
World Health ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Medical Teams

AbstractBackgroundMedical records are a tenet of good medical practice and provide one method of communicating individual follow-up arrangements, informing research data, and documenting medical intervention.MethodsThe objective of this review was to look at one source (the published literature) of medical records used by foreign medical teams (FMTs) in sudden onset disasters (SODs). The published literature was searched systematically for evidence of what medical records have been used by FMTs in SODs.FindingsThe style and content of medical records kept by FMTs in SODs varied widely according to the published literature. Similarly, there was great variability in practice as to what happens to the record and/or the data from the record following its use during a patient encounter. However, there was a paucity of published work comprehensively detailing the exact content of records used.InterpretationWithout standardization of the content of medical records kept by FMTs in SODs, it is difficult to ensure robust follow-up arrangements are documented. This may hinder communication between different FMTs and local medical teams (LMTs)/other FMTs who may then need to provide follow-up care for an individual. Furthermore, without a standard method of reporting data, there is an inaccurate picture of the work carried out. Therefore, there is not a solid evidence base for improving the quality of future response to SODs. Further research targeting FMTs and LMTs directly is essential to inform any development of an internationally agreed minimum data set (MDS), for both recording and reporting, in order that FMTs can reach the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for FMT practice.JafarAJN, NortonI, LeckyF, RedmondAD. A literature review of medical record keeping by foreign medical teams in sudden onset disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(2):1-7.

Disaster Metrics: Quantitative Estimation of the Number of Ambulances Required in Trauma-Related Multiple Casualty Events

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamil D. Bayram ◽  
Shawki Zuabi ◽  
Mazen J. El Sayed
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Estimation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Quantitative Model ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
T1 And T2

AbstractIntroductionEstimating the number of ambulances needed in trauma-related Multiple Casualty Events (MCEs) is a challenging task.Hypothesis/ProblemEmergency medical services (EMS) regions in the United States have varying “best practices” for the required number of ambulances in MCE, none of which is based on metric criteria. The objective of this study was to estimate the number of ambulances required to respond to the scene of trauma-related MCE in order to initiate treatment and complete the transport of critical (T1) and moderate (T2) patients. The proposed model takes into consideration the different transport times and capacities of receiving hospitals, the time interval from injury occurrence, the number of patients per ambulance, and the pre-designated time frame allowed from injury until the transfer care of T1 and T2 patients.MethodsThe main theoretical framework for this model was based on prehospital time intervals described in the literature and used by EMS systems to evaluate operational and patient care issues. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) triage categories (T1-T4) were used for simplicity.ResultsThe minimum number of ambulances required to respond to the scene of an MCE was modeled as being primarily dependent on the number of critical patients (T1) present at the scene any particular time. A robust quantitative model was also proposed to dynamically estimate the number of ambulances needed at any time during an MCE to treat, transport and transfer the care of T1 and T2 patients.ConclusionA new quantitative model for estimation of the number of ambulances needed during the prehospital response in trauma-related multiple casualty events has been proposed. Prospective studies of this model are needed to examine its validity and applicability.BayramJD, ZuabiS, El SayedMJ. Disaster metrics: quantitative estimation of the number of ambulances required in trauma-related multiple casualty events. Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(5):1-7.

scholarly journals Hemodialysis services: are public policies turned to guaranteeing the access?

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1505-1516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Rita Barbieri ◽  
Crhistinne Cavalheiro Maymone Gonçalves ◽  
Maria de Fátima Meinberg Cheade ◽  
Cristina Souza ◽  
Daniel Henrique Tsuha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Records ◽  
Health Informatics ◽  
Ecological Study ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
National Average ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Mato Grosso Do Sul

The increasing incidence of chronic renal failure in Brazil and the consequential expansion of hemodialysis as a choice for treatment in final stage have to be taken into account to guarantee access to those in need. The ecological study conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, in 2012, using data from the Brazilian Health Informatics Department (DATASUS) and from the analysis of medical records in 12 clinics, identified and mapped patients on hemodialysis, the distance they travelled and the estimated number of patients. The prevalence of hemodialysis patients in Mato Grosso do Sul State, about 55 per 100,000 inhabitants, is similar to the national average. The analyses indicated concentration of patients in counties with clinics and also geographical gaps that generate displacement of over 100km for more than 16% of patients. The results point to the necessity of strengthening public policies that consider, for decision-making, the decentralization of service, the expansion of home care and the follow-up education for professionals.

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