scholarly journals Rural Residents’ Perception about the Coverage, Cost and Access of Ambulance Services

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana Prosser ◽  
Jessica Prosser ◽  
Denese Playford

Introduction While there are numerous studies investigating use and outcomes of the ambulance service, there are none looking at population attitudes and knowledge about the ambulance service. The aim of this study was to see if education is required for a sample population representative of rural Australia in regards to cost and coverage. Methods This study used a knowledge, attitude and practice survey voluntarily self-completed by a sample population recruited opportunistically from a number of health and public areas in the city of Geraldton, including the Emergency Department, a General Practise Clinic, a Physiotherapy Clinic and a Shopping Centre. Results 229 surveys were completed and showed that 30.1% of the sample population had no coverage in that they were not a pensioner, had no private health insurance and did not posses St John country cover. Aboriginal people were more likely than non-Aboriginal people to be without cover. Although 96% of people believed that everyone should be covered, 56% of participants did not know who administers rural ambulance coverage and 59% did not know the average call out fee for a life threatening call. The majority did not consider costs when using an ambulance. Conclusion The results demonstrated considerable lack of knowledge about ambulance cover and suggested that public education about ambulance services would be beneficial.

1970 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-89
Author(s):  
Beverley McClymont

A train journey from Sydney Central to Strathfield and thence north on the Hornsby rail line will bring a traveller to the suburb of Eastwood, some 21 kilometres from the city. Leaving the train to travel on to Hornsby and stepping out of the station on the east or west side, the visitor will see a busy suburban shopping centre, illustrating the fact that Eastwood developed around the railway station when the service began in 1886. However, the town's history goes back to the eighteenth century and even to earlier times, when the Wallumedegal Aboriginal people lived in the territory bounded by the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers. The people were part of the Dharug group and they called their country Wallumetta.


Author(s):  
Miranda Boggild ◽  
Charles H. Tator

Background and Objectives:Concussion is a prevalent brain injury in the community. While primary prevention strategies need to be enhanced, it is also important to diagnose and treat concussions expertly and expeditiously to prevent serious complications that may be life-threatening or long lasting. Therefore, physicians should be knowledgeable about the diagnosis and management of concussions. The present study assesses Ontario medical students’ and residents’ knowledge of concussion management.Methods:A survey to assess the knowledge and awareness of the diagnosis and treatment of concussions was developed and administered to graduating medical students (n= 222) and neurology and neurosurgery residents (n = 80) at the University of Toronto.Results:Residents answered correctly significantly more of the questions regarding the diagnosis and management of concussions than the medical students (mean = 5.8 vs 4.1, t= 4.48, p<0.01). Gender, participation in sports, and personal concussion history were not predictive of the number of questions answered correctly. Several knowledge gaps were identified in the sample population as a whole. Approximately half of the medical students and residents did not recognize chronic traumatic encephalopathy (n = 36) or the second impact syndrome (n = 44) as possible consequences of repetitive concussions. Twenty-four percent of the medical students (n = 18) did not think that “every concussed individual should see a physician” as part of management.Conclusions:A significant number of medical students and residents have incomplete knowledge about concussion diagnosis and management. This should be addressed by targeting this population during undergraduate medical education.


The Lancet ◽  
1907 ◽  
Vol 169 (4368) ◽  
pp. 1373-1374
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Geovana Geloni Parra ◽  
Bernardo Arantes do Nascimento Teixeira ◽  
Érico Masiero ◽  
Thais Borges Martins Rodrigues

Abstract Many housing estates of social interest have not contributed to implementing leisure areas and reducing their environmental and urban quality. This paper aims to propose a leisure unit using a compensatory urban drainage technique in a housing complex of social interest in the city of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. The characterization of the area, land use and occupation surveys, area sectorization, and catchment division were carried out. Afterwards, proposals for interventions based on surface runoff were presented using calculations of existing runoff and future scenarios. Results related to environmental and social gains for the area are discussed, as well as the possibility of implementing decentralized compensatory techniques. Moreover, 156 rain gardens and 3 ditches were proposed throughout the subdivisions, which enabled a gain of 989m² of contribution area to infiltrate the whole area, and the use of the retention basin as a leisure area. The total storage volume achieved with the sum of all the techniques implemented was approximately 3,000 cubic meters more than that projected for the existing retention basin.


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Kaneko ◽  
Tetsuo Hatanaka ◽  
Aki Nagase ◽  
Seishiro Marukawa ◽  
Tetsuya Sakamoto

Introduction: In Japan, the number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) placed in public areas has climbed up to the estimated 530,000. We reported previously that a half of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurred within 100 m from a public AED in urban areas. However, shocks for defibrillation were given to less than 15% of those patients. The objectives of this study was to identify the limiting factors against the use of AEDs by bystanders. Methods: A prospective survey on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was conducted in the city of Osaka (Dec 2016 through Mar 2017) and the city of Nagoya (Dec 2016 through Nov 2017) searching for patient demographics and AED settings including; absence/presence of a public AED on the scene, attachment of AED pads, delivery of shocks before the time of EMS arrival. Results: Of 558 cases of cardiac arrest registered during the survey period, an AED had already been delivered at the patient side by the time of EMS arrival in 92 case (16.5%). Of those, pads had been attached in 89 cased (96.7%). Shocks had been advised in 35 cases (39.3%) and to all but one of those cases at least 1 shock had been given by the bystanders. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups of cases with and without AEDs at the patient side regarding the patient age (65 years [IQR: 48-74] vs 63 years [IQR49-75], p=0.84), gender (p=0.68) and the time from call to EMS arrival (7 min [IQR: 6-9] vs 7 min [IQR: 6-9], p=0.74). Cases occurring indoors had more chances of AEDs being delivered on the patient side than cases occurring outdoors (24.0% vs 7.8%, p<0.001). Conclusions: Our study indicates that once an AED is delivered at the patient side, pads are successfully attached and shocks are given if indicated in almost all cases. This suggests that finding and delivering an AED onto the patient side are the limiting factors against the use of AEDs by bystanders. In order to popularize the use of AEDs by bystanders, informing people with AED placement and clear direction to the AED location seem to be the key steps.


2018 ◽  
Vol 05 (02n03) ◽  
pp. 1850014
Author(s):  
Jasdeep Singh

The discourse on resilient cities encapsulates various analogies, which are further constructed through the work of researchers in creation of several resilience assessment methodologies and toolkits. Despite the presence of numerous resilience assessment tools, there is an apparent lack of participation of residents of the global south within the assessment and iterative transformation processes. The situation, hence, is not truly represented through application of these tools in certain socio-political climates such as of India. Consistent economic growth of India has resulted in rapid urbanization of major cities. But, this has not been supplemented with proper planning, resulting in imbalances in all spheres of city infrastructure. Delhi, capital city of India, has been one of the worst hit cities. The hot seasons have caused thousands of fatalities in the past few years. An attempt is made to review the application of current resilience tools in Delhi against the backdrop of the sustainable development goals. In an attempt to improve the approach of these existing tools, an initial iteration is conducted, hinging on qualitative data obtained through surveying a sample population of the city and accessible quantitative metric data. Possible intervention scenarios are further suggested in view of aforementioned stressors and resilience scores. Research question: Where are the current resilience tools found lacking in the case of the global south, specifically in Delhi? How can the applicability of these tools be improved without compromising the deliverables yet ensuring an all-inclusive approach? Key findings: (1) The city is found lacking in adequate infrastructure facilities to its residents especially within the ambits of basic water and sanitation provision and healthcare services. (2) The city is relatively unprepared to face unforeseen events, both at the administrative and the grassroots levels. The lack of knowledge transfer and cooperation are largely evident.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naceur Haouet ◽  
Simona Pistolese ◽  
Raffaella Branciari ◽  
David Ranucci ◽  
Maria Serena Altissimi

Acrylamide is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction and is potentially carcinogenic to humans. It is found in a number of foods with higher concentrations in carbohydrate-rich foods and moderate levels of protein-rich foods such as meat, fish and seafood. Acrylamide levels in food distributed in vending machines placed in public areas of the city of Perugia were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Samples included five different categories, depending on the characteristics of the products: 1) potato chips; 2) salted bakery products; 3) biscuits and wafers; 4) sweet bakery products; 5) sandwiches. A high variability in acrylamide level among different foods and within the same category was detected. Potato chips showed the highest amount of acrylamide (1781±637 μg/kg) followed by salted bakery products (211±245 μg/kg), biscuits and wafers (184±254 μg/kg), sweet bakery products (100±72 μg/kg) and sandwiches (42±10 μg/kg). In the potato chips and sandwiches categories, all of the samples revealed the presence of acrylamide while different prevalence was registered in the other foods considered. The data of this study highlight the presence of acrylamide in different foods sold in vending machines and this data could be useful to understand the contribution of this type of consumption to human exposure to this compound.


2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Spencer

Darwin has the largest Aboriginal population of any Australian city at nearly nine per cent, and the Northern Territory has nearly 28 per cent of the indigenous population. While the greater majority of the indigenous population in Darwin lives in circumstances not unlike their non-indigenous neighbors, a number are, out of necessity, more transient, moving between remote communities and the city, visiting friends and relatives who may be in hospital or prison, seeking work or escaping uneviable conditions in the interior. It is important to preface the present study with a word on social and historical context, as the representation of indigenous issues in 'the Territory' is founded upon historical and cultural constructions of Aboriginality. What underpins this long-running moral panic about homeless indiginous people? First, the history of Aboriginal people in Australia has been one of the disposession, cultural genocide and displacement. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 344-348
Author(s):  
Saman Al-Sahab ◽  
Aditi Nijhawan ◽  
Tim Kirkby ◽  
Shadman Aziz

Emergency responders (ERs) are volunteers who attend category 1 (immediately life-threatening) and category 2 (emergency) 999 calls on behalf of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS). ERs aim to arrive first on scene to these incidents to provide essential life-saving interventions prior to the arrival of further ambulance resources. ERs come from a wide range of backgrounds and undergo a thorough selection, training and mentorship process before advancing to working in a two-person ER crew. Compared to most traditional volunteer first responder schemes, the LAS ER scheme, which was set up in 2008, involves an enhanced skillset, dispatch to medical and traumatic emergencies in addition to cardiac arrest, and the use of blue-light vehicles to reduce response times. Over a period of 13 years, the scheme has grown in scope and size, and now operates with more than 120 volunteers based at seven ambulance stations across London.


Author(s):  
P. P. Nikhil Raj ◽  
P. A. Azeez

The present study examines responses of the public to a proposed ecotourism program. Several individuals were randomly contacted in Kerala, India, to elicit their observations and responses to the proposed program, including residents, local travelers and workers. Though a large share of the sample population supported the project, anticipating that it would accelerate the development of the city and increase their annual earnings, many were unaware of the ecological importance of the mangrove wetland. Only 5% of the total sampled populations were aware of the importance of conserving wetland ecosystems in a growing city. This exemplifies the cheerless state of the environmental consciousness of the public in Kerala, despite that the city is among the most literate, socially advanced and environmentally cognizant populations in India. This study highlights the need for development of much deeper scientific consciousness among the public at large.


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