scholarly journals Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear preparedness of public hospitals in Riyadh

Author(s):  
Ahmed Ali Alahmari ◽  
Anas A Khan

Abstract ObjectivesChemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents are those that involve chemical or biological warfare agents or toxic radiological or nuclear materials. These agents can cause disasters intentionally or accidentally. Hospitals play a crucial role in handling CBRN disasters. This study aimed to assess the CBRN preparedness of government hospitals in Riyadh.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted across government hospitals in Riyadh, all government hospitals in Riyadh with more than 100 inpatient beds and an emergency department met the inclusion criteria. Hospital preparedness was assessed using an adaptation of the CBRNE Plan Checklist. Results were described in frequencies across several domains such as foundational considerations, planning, training and awareness, procedures, and modules for preparing for a biological incident, a chemical incident, and a radiological or nuclear incident.ResultsOf the 11 eligible hospitals, 10 participated in the study. Further, CBRN considerations were included in the disaster plans of 7 hospitals. Drills had been conducted in collaboration with local agencies in only 2 hospitals. The staff had been trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of exposure to class (A) biological agents in less than half of the hospitals. A majority of the hospitals had antidotes and prophylactics to manage chemical incidents, but only half of them had radiation detection instruments. Personal protective equipment was available in all hospitals, but rapid access to stockpiles of medications was available in only half of them.ConclusionGovernment hospitals in Riyadh demonstrated insufficient CBRN preparedness. Therefore, their staffs should be trained to manage CBRN emergencies, and local drills should be conducted to improve their preparedness.

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc J.M. Mortelmans ◽  
Menno I. Gaakeer ◽  
Greet Dieltiens ◽  
Kurt Anseeuw ◽  
Marc B. Sabbe

AbstractIntroductionBeing one of Europe’s most densely populated countries, and having multiple nuclear installations, a heavy petrochemical industry, and terrorist targets, the Netherlands is at-risk for chemical, biological, or radionuclear (CBRN) incidents. Recent world and continental events show that this threat is real and that authorities may be underprepared.HypothesisThe hypothesis of this study is that Dutch hospitals are underprepared to deal with these incidents.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed. All 93 Dutch hospitals with an emergency department (ED) were sent a link to an online survey on different aspects of CBRN preparedness. Besides specific hospital information, information was obtained on the hospital’s disaster planning; risk perception; and availability of decontamination units, personal protective equipment (PPE), antidotes, radiation detection, infectiologists, isolation measures, and staff training.ResultsResponse rate was 67%. Sixty-two percent of participating hospitals were estimated to be at-risk for CBRN incidents. Only 40% had decontamination facilities and 32% had appropriate PPE available for triage and decontamination teams. Atropine was available in high doses in all hospitals, but specific antidotes that could be used for treating victims of CBRN incidents, such as hydroxycobolamine, thiosulphate, Prussian blue, Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), or pralidoxime, were less frequently available (74%, 65%, 18%, 14%, and 42%, respectively). Six percent of hospitals had radioactive detection equipment with an alarm function and 22.5% had a nuclear specialist available 24/7 in case of disasters. Infectiologists were continuously available in 60% of the hospitals. Collective isolation facilities were present in 15% of the hospitals.Conclusion:There is a serious lack of hospital preparedness for CBRN incidents in The Netherlands.MortelmansLJM, GaakeerMI, DieltiensG, AnseeuwK, SabbeMB. Are Dutch hospitals prepared for chemical, biological, or radionuclear incidents? A survey study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(5):483–491.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-06
Author(s):  
Franciele Cardoso Leite ◽  
Patricia Martins Luizari Escoboza

Congenital hypothyroidism is a cause of mental retardation and has nonspecific signs and symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for the normal development of children affected by this disorder. The objective of this study was to evaluate theincidence of changes in the screening tests of public hospitals in Presidente Prudente, the average age of the newborn at the time of collection of tests and confirmation of the diagnosis. A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the data of newborns who underwent the “heel prick test” by the unified health system in 2017. Of the 3,351 evaluated, 48 had elevated levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone(TSH), 13 had the diagnosis confirmed congenital hypothyroidism. It was 61.54% the children that returned between days 16 and 30 to confirm the result and 23.07% that returned after 61 days. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential, as they enable mitigating actions for the serious cognitive and behavioral disorders of affected patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Franciele Cardoso Leite ◽  
Patricia Martins Luizari Escoboza

Congenital hypothyroidism is a cause of mental retardation and has nonspecific signs and symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for the normal development of children affected by this disorder. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of changes in the screening tests of public hospitals in Presidente Prudente, the average age of the newborn at the time of collection of tests and confirmation of the diagnosis. A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the data of newborns who underwent the “heel prick test” by the unified health system in 2017. Of the 3,351 evaluated, 48 had elevated levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), 13 had the diagnosis confirmed congenital hypothyroidism. It was 61.54% the children that returned between days 16 and 30 to confirm the result and 23.07% that returned after 61 days. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential, as they enable mitigating actions for the serious cognitive and behavioral disorders of affected patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiding Wang ◽  
Jinzhi Liu ◽  
Ribo Xiong ◽  
Yan Liu

Abstract Background In China, post-abortion care (PAC) services mainly focus on married couples, such that adolescents and unmarried young womenhave limited access to those services for contraception counseling. The provision of youth-friendly PAC services in public hospitals is a new concept in China. This study examined the magnitude of PAC services utilization as well as factors influencing it’s uptake among adolescents and young women in Guangzhou, China. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed from 1st March 2020 to 30th September 2020 using anonymous self-administered questionnaire among 688 women aged 15–24 years in Tianhe district, Guangzhou. The Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors that were significantly associated with the uptake of PAC services. Results The magnitude of PAC services utilization was 35.9% among adolescents and young women in Guangzhou, China. Students were 69.0% significantly less likely to use PAC services compared to women who had no job. Immigrants were 59.0% significantly less likely to use PAC services than their native counterparts. Women who had a feeling of stigma were 70.0% significantly less likely to use PAC services compared to those who did not feel stigmatized. Conclusions The study highlights the need to strengthen youth-friendly PAC services provision, and emphasizes the importance of education about both family planning and abortion services among disadvantaged sub-groups of women in the study setting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2333794X2110196
Author(s):  
Sitotaw Molla Mekonnen ◽  
Daniel Mengistu Bekele ◽  
Fikrtemariam Abebe Fenta ◽  
Addisu Dabi Wake

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains to be the most critical and frequent gastrointestinal disorder understood in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The presented study was intended to assess the prevalence of NEC and associated factors among enteral Fed preterm and low birth weight neonates. Institution based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 enteral Fed preterm and low birth weight neonates who were admitted at selected public hospitals of Addis Ababa from March 25/2020 to May 10/2020. The data were collected through neonates’ medical record chart review. A total of 350 participants were enrolled in to the study with the response rate of 99.43%. One hundred eighty-four (52.6%) of them were male. The majority 123 (35.1%) of them were (32 + 1 to 34) weeks gestational age. The prevalence of NEC was (25.4%) (n = 89, [95% CI; 21.1, 30.0]). Being ≤28 weeks gestational age (AOR = 3.94, 95% CI [2.67, 9.97]), being (28 + 1 to 32 weeks) gestational age (AOR = 3.65, 95% CI [2.21, 8.31]), birth weight of 1000 to 1499 g (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.22, 4.33]), APGAR score ≤3 (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI [1.32, 4.16]), prolonged labor (AOR = 2.21, 95% CI [1.35, 6.38]), maternal chronic disease particularly hypertension (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI [1.70, 5.90]), chorioamnionitis (AOR = 4.8, 95% CI [3.9, 13]), failure to breath/resuscitated (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI [1.7, 4.4]), CPAP ventilation (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI [1.50, 12.70]), mixed milk (AOR = 3.58, 95% CI [2.16, 9.32]) were factors significantly associated with NEC. Finally, the prevalence of NEC in the study area was high. So that, initiating the programs that could minimize this problem is required to avoid the substantial morbidity and mortality associated with NEC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Raheli Misiko Mukhwana ◽  
Margaret N Keraka ◽  
Meshack Onyambu

Introduction/Aims Focused antenatal care provides individualised counselling, targeted assessment and safe, cost effective, evidence-based intervention. It has been implemented in developing countries as a strategy to improve maternal health. This study aimed to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with maternal complications in selected public county hospitals in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using a sample of 397 postnatal women who were given a questionnaire, with sections on their sociodemographic and health characteristics. Data analysis was done using the Chi Square test to determine the association between study variables, with P<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results The study found that 30% of respondents reported a maternal complication during their current delivery outcome. Sociodemographic factors significantly associated with maternal complications were age (P=0.002), occupation (P=0.001) and income (P=0.011). The health factors associated with occurrence of maternal complications were number of deliveries (P=0.001) and mode of delivery (P=0.001). Conclusions A number of factors were found to be significantly associated with maternal outcomes, including age and occupation. Further studies to determine why young women do not use focused antenatal care are necessary, as this would help reduce the incidence of birth-associated complications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Márcia Koja Breigeiron ◽  
Vitória da Costa Moraes ◽  
Janice Carneiro Coelho

ABSTRACT Objective: Identify the signs and symptoms of patients with Gaucher Disease, inferring possible priority nursing diagnoses. Method: Cross-sectional study, developed in a specialized laboratory, between 2013 and 2015. The sample (n = 91) comprised the records of patients with genetic diagnosis for Gaucher Disease. The study respected research norms. Results: Prevalence of female sex (57.1%), age at diagnosis between 0 and 10 years, and origin from the Southeast Region of Brazil were prevalent. Hematologic changes, bone pain, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and fatigue were the most recurrent signs and symptoms. The inferred diagnoses for the studied population were: Risk for bleeding; Fatigue; Chronic pain and Acute pain; Impaired physical mobility; Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements; and Risk for Developmental Delay. Conclusion: The establishment of Priority Nursing Diagnoses based on signs and symptoms makes it possible to achieve expected outcomes for each individual in the care context.


Author(s):  
Wandressa Letícia Viveiros ◽  
Meiry Fernanda Pinto Okuno ◽  
Cássia Regina Vancini Campanharo ◽  
Maria Carolina Barbosa Teixeira Lopes ◽  
Gabriella Novelli Oliveira ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objectives: to correlate risk classification categories with the level of pain of patients in an emergency service. Method: cross-sectional study carried out in the Risk Classification of 611 patients. The variables studied were: age, gender, comorbidities, complaint duration, medical specialty, signs and symptoms, outcome, color attributed in the risk classification of and degree of pain. We used Analysis of Variance, a Chi-Square test and a Likelihood Ratio test. Results: the average age was 42.1 years (17.8); 59.9% were women; the green (58.9%) and yellow (22.7%) risk classification prevailed and hypertension (18.3%) was the most common Comorbidity. The most frequent pain intensity was moderate (25.9%). In the red category, patients presented a higher percentage of absence of pain; in the blue, mild pain; and in the green, yellow and orange categories, there was a greater percentage of intense pain (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: among the patients who presented pain, the majority reported moderate intensity. Regarding risk categories, most patients in the red category did not report pain. Those who were classified as green, yellow and orange, reported mostly intense pain. On the other hand, patients in the blue category reported predominantly mild pain.


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