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A Sustainable Training Strategy for Improving Health Care Following a Catastrophic Radiological or Nuclear Incident

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2014

Daniel J. Blumenthal ,
Judith L. Bader ,
Doran Christensen ,
John Koerner ,
John Cuellar ,
Sidney Hinds ,
John Crapo ,
Erik Glassman ,
A. Bradley Potter  and
Lynda Singletary
Daniel J. Blumenthal*
Affiliation:
US Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Washington DC USA
Judith L. Bader
Affiliation:
US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington DC USA
Doran Christensen
Affiliation:
Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA
John Koerner
Affiliation:
US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington DC USA
John Cuellar
Affiliation:
Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Sidney Hinds
Affiliation:
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland USA
John Crapo
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Arlington, Virginia USA
Erik Glassman
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Arlington, Virginia USA
A. Bradley Potter
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Arlington, Virginia USA
Lynda Singletary
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Arlington, Virginia USA
*
Correspondence: Daniel Blumenthal, PhD 1000 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20585 USA c/o Dr. Daniel Blumenthal, NA-42 E-mail Daniel.Blumenthal@nnsa.doe.gov
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Abstract

The detonation of a nuclear device in a US city would be catastrophic. Enormous loss of life and injuries would characterize an incident with profound human, political, social, and economic implications. Nevertheless, most responders have not received sufficient training about ionizing radiation, principles of radiation safety, or managing, diagnosing, and treating radiation-related injuries and illnesses. Members throughout the health care delivery system, including medical first responders, hospital first receivers, and health care institution support personnel such as janitors, hospital administrators, and security personnel, lack radiation-related training. This lack of knowledge can lead to failure of these groups to respond appropriately after a nuclear detonation or other major radiation incident and limit the effectiveness of the medical response and recovery effort. Efficacy of the response can be improved by getting each group the information it needs to do its job. This paper proposes a sustainable training strategy for spreading curricula throughout the necessary communities. It classifies the members of the health care delivery system into four tiers and identifies tasks for each tier and the radiation-relevant knowledge needed to perform these tasks. By providing education through additional modules to existing training structures, connecting radioactive contamination control to daily professional practices, and augmenting these systems with just-in-time training, the strategy creates a sustainable mechanism for giving members of the health care community improved ability to respond during a radiological or nuclear crisis, reducing fatalities, mitigating injuries, and improving the resiliency of the community.

Blumethal D, Bader J, Christensen D, Koerner J, Cuellar J, Hinds S, Crapo J, Glassman ES, Potter AB, Singletary L. A Sustainable Training Strategy for Improving Health Care Following a Catastrophic Radiological or Nuclear Incident. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(1):80-86 .

Keywords

nuclearpreparednessradiologicaltraining
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , February 2014 , pp. 80 - 86
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

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