Official counts of deaths attributed to disasters are often under-reported, thus adversely affecting public health messaging designed to prevent further mortality. During the Oklahoma (USA) May 2013 tornadoes, Oklahoma State Health Department Division of Vital Records (VR; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA) piloted a flagging procedure to track tornado-attributed deaths within its Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). To determine if the EDRS was capturing all tornado-attributed deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Georgia USA) evaluated three event fatality markers (EFM), which are used to collate information about deaths for immediate response and retrospective research efforts.

Oklahoma identified 48 tornado-attributed deaths through a retrospective review of hospital morbidity and mortality records. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Georgia USA) analyzed the sensitivity, timeliness, and validity for three EFMs, which included: (1) a tornado-specific flag on the death record; (2) a tornado-related term in the death certificate; and (3) X37, the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code in the death record for Victim of a Cataclysmic Storm, which includes tornadoes.

The flag was the most sensitive EFM (89.6%; 43/48), followed by the tornado term (75.0%; 36/48), and the X37 code (56.2%; 27/48). The most-timely EFM was the flag, which took 2.0 median days to report (range 0-10 days), followed by the tornado term (median 3.5 days; range 1-21), and the X37 code (median >10 days; range 2-122). Over one-half (52.1%; 25/48) of the tornado-attributed deaths were missing at least one EFM. Twenty-six percent (11/43) of flagged records had no tornado term, and 44.1% (19/43) had no X37 code. Eleven percent (4/36) of records with a tornado term did not have a flag.

The tornado-specific flag was the most sensitive and timely EFM. Using the flag to collate death records and identify additional deaths without the tornado term and X37 code may improve immediate response and retrospective investigations. Moreover, each of the EFMs can serve as quality controls for the others to maximize capture of all disaster-attributed deaths from vital statistics records in the EDRS.

Issa AN, Baker K, Pate D, Law R, Bayleyegn T, Noe RS. Evaluation of Oklahoma’s Electronic Death Registration System and event fatality markers for disaster-related mortality surveillance – Oklahoma USA, May 2013. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(2):125–131

This study’s objective was to explore the disaster management knowledge, attitude, behavior, willingness, and assistance among Nigerian dentists.

This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted in Edo State (Nigeria) among selected Nigerian dentists that attended the Annual Scientific Conference of School of Dentistry, University of Benin (Benin City, Nigeria) between 2016 and 2017. The 54-item, modified Chhabra, et al disaster management questionnaire, which elicited information on demographic characteristics, disaster management knowledge, attitude, preparedness, and willingness, was the data collection tool.

A total of 126 dentists participated in the study, giving a 68.1% retrieval rate. The willingness to render assistance in the case of disaster among the participants was 95.2%. More than three-quarters (81.0%) reported that they had not received any disaster management training and 92.9% reported that they were not familiar with any government paper on response to disaster. The mean disaster management knowledge and attitude scores were 16.95 (SD = 0.40) and 34.62 (SD = 0.56), respectively. Disaster management knowledge had positive significant correlation with attitude and behavior. The disaster management attitude had positive significant correlation with behavior and negative significant correlation with preparedness. Disaster management behavior had positive significant correlation with preparedness and willingness to render assistance. Willingness to render assistance had significant correlation with preparedness.

Data from this study revealed high-level of willingness to render assistance in disaster, high disaster management attitude, but with low disaster management knowledge, behavior, and preparedness. The significant correlation between knowledge, attitude, behavior, and preparedness implies that training will offer immense benefit.

Odai ED, Azodo CC, Chhabra KG. Disaster management: knowledge, attitude, behavior, willingness, and preparedness among Nigerian dentists. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(2):132–136

Approximately 50,000 patients per year present at emergency departments (EDs) because of carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication. The hypothesis of this study was that the half-life of CO and the regression period of complaints could be reduced more rapidly by applying oxygen with the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) modality using a non-invasive mechanical ventilator.

The patients were divided into Group 1 and Group 2 in terms of the treatment method applied. Patients in Group 1 received FiO2 1.0 15 l/minute oxygen at room temperature for at least 30 minutes with a non-rebreather mask. Patients in Group 2 received FiO2 1.0 oxygen at 12 cmH2O pressure with non-invasive mechanical ventilation for at least 30 minutes with an oronasal mask in the CPAP modality.

The median values (interquartile range) of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels at zero and 30 minutes of patients were 19% (8) and 14% (6) in Group 1 and 22% (8) and nine percent (3) in Group 2; a median difference of six percent (2) was detected in Group 1 and of 13% (4) in Group 2 in the first 30 minutes (P <.001). When the symptoms of the patients were examined, the median values of Group 1 and Group 2 at zero minutes were both eight units and at 30 minutes were five and three units, respectively. A decrease of five units was determined in the median of Group 2 in the first 30 minutes, and a decrease of two units in the median of Group 1 (P <.001).

The use of CPAP was determined to more rapidly reduce COHb level as opposed to high-flow oxygen therapy. It is also thought that it may enable earlier discharge by reducing the duration of the emergency follow-up since it provides a faster improvement in the symptoms of the patients.

To describe the types of surgical procedures performed by emergency medical teams (EMTs) with general surgical capability in the aftermath of sudden-onset disasters (SODs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

A search of electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE) was carried out to identify articles published between 1990 and 2018 that describe the type of surgical procedures performed by EMTs in the impact and post-impact phases a SOD. Further relevant articles were obtained by hand-searching reference lists.

16 articles met the inclusion criteria. Articles reporting on EMTs from a number of different countries and responding to a variety of disasters were included. There was a high prevalence of procedures for extremity soft tissue injuries (46.8%) and fractures (28.3%). However, a significant number of genitourinary/obstetric procedures were also reported.

Knowledge of the types of surgical procedures most frequently performed by EMTs may help further determine the necessary prerequisite surgical skills required for the recruitment of surgeons for EMTs. Experience in basic plastic, orthopedic, urological, and obstetric surgery would seem desirable for surgeons and surgical teams wishing to participate in an EMT.

In July 2013, a train carrying 72 cars of crude oil derailed in the town of Lac-Mégantic (Eastern Townships, Quebec, Canada). This disaster provoked a major conflagration, explosions, 47 deaths, the destruction of 44 buildings, the evacuation of one-third of the local population, and an unparalleled oil spill. Notwithstanding the environmental impact, many citizens of this town and in surrounding areas have suffered and continue to suffer substantial losses as a direct consequence of this catastrophe.

To tailor public health interventions and to meet the psychosocial needs of the community, the Public Health Department of Eastern Townships has undertaken repeated surveys to monitor health and well-being over time. This study focuses on negative psychosocial outcomes one and two years after the tragedy.

Two cross-sectional surveys (2014 and 2015) were conducted among large random samples of adults in Lac-Mégantic and surrounding areas (2014: n = 811; 2015: n = 800), and elsewhere in the region (2014: n = 7,926; 2015: n = 800). A wide range of psychosocial outcomes was assessed (ie, daily stress, main source of stress, sense of insecurity, psychological distress, excessive drinking, anxiety or mood disorders, psychosocial services use, anxiolytic drug use, gambling habits, and posttraumatic stress symptoms [PSS]). Exposure to the tragedy was assessed using residential location (ie, six-digit postal code) and intensity of exposure (ie, intense, moderate, or low exposure; from nine items capturing human, material, or subjective losses). Relationships between such exposures and adverse psychosocial outcomes were examined using chi-squares and t-tests. Distribution of outcomes was also examined over time.

One year after the disaster, an important proportion of participants reported human, material, and subjective losses (64%, 23%, and 54%, respectively), whereas 17% of people experienced intense exposure. Participants from Lac-Mégantic, particularly those intensely exposed, were much more likely to report psychological distress, depressive episode, anxiety disorders, and anxiolytic drug use, relative to less-exposed ones. In 2015, 67% of the Lac-Mégantic participants (76% of intensely exposed) reported moderate to severe PSS. Surprisingly, the use of psychosocial services in Lac-Mégantic declined by 41% from 2014 to 2015.

The psychosocial burden in the aftermath of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy is substantial and persistent. Public health organizations responding to large-scaling disasters should monitor long-term psychosocial consequences and advocate for community-based psychosocial support in order to help citizens in their recovery process.

Natural disasters have many effects on vulnerable groups, especially infants and children. Protecting breastfeeding in disasters is important, because artificial feeding puts a lot of risk to the child. In disasters, artificial nutrition is dangerous to children and its supplementation requires special equipment. There is little information on the nutritional status of infants after disasters in Iran.

The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers to appropriate lactation after disasters in Iran.

This was a qualitative study using a content analysis method. A total of 19 midwives with disaster-relief experiences were approached for interview. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using the Graneheim’s approach.

The categories of maternal factors, neonatal factors, management factors, and context-base factors were extracted from the data.

The challenges of social support, mothers’ self-efficacy, educated staff for disasters, and privacy for breastfeeding can be considered as important barriers to breastfeeding in disasters. Training programs, as well as health system support, can help overcome the breastfeeding barriers in disasters.

MirMohamadaliIeM, Khani JazaniR, SohrabizadehS, Nikbakht NasrabadiA. Barriers to Breastfeeding in Disasters in the Context of Iran. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(1):20–24.

Triaging plays an important role in providing suitable care to a large number of casualties in a disaster setting. A Pediatric Physiological and Anatomical Triage Score (PPATS) was developed as a new secondary triage method. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of the PPATS in identifying injured pediatric patients who are admitted at a high frequency and require immediate treatment in a disaster setting. The PPATS method was also compared with the current triage methods, such as the Triage Revised Trauma Score (TRTS).

A retrospective review of pediatric patients aged ≤15 years, registered in the Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB) from 2012 through 2016, was conducted and PPATS was performed. The PPATS method graded patients from zero to 22, and was calculated based on vital signs, anatomical abnormalities, and the need for life-saving interventions. It categorized patients based on their priority, and the intensive care unit (ICU)-indicated patients were assigned a PPATS ≥six. The accuracy of PPATS and TRTS in predicting the outcome of ICU-indicated patients was compared.

Of 2,005 pediatric patients, 1,002 (50%) were admitted to the ICU. The median age of the patients was nine years (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-13 years). The sensitivity and specificity of PPATS were 78.6% and 43.7%, respectively. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was larger for PPATS (0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.63) than for TRTS (0.57; 95% CI, 0.56-0.59; P <.01). Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between PPATS and the Injury Severity Score (ISS; r2 = 0.353; P <.001), predicted survival rate (r2 = 0.396; P <.001), and duration of hospital stay (r2 = 0.252; P <.001).

The accuracy of PPATS for injured pediatric patients was superior to that of current secondary triage methods. The PPATS method is useful not only for identifying high-priority patients, but also for determining the priority ranking for medical treatments and evacuation.

Herd immunity, a concept normally applied in vaccinated populations, is a preventative measure to determine if a significant portion of a population can protect vulnerable individuals against a certain disease. Like vaccines, tourniquet education can be a form of herd immunity to protect vulnerable individuals in a population and prevent the loss of life from a peripheral hemorrhage. The authors have identified a deficiency in simple, quick, and effective hemorrhage control education. Therefore, to maximize herd immunity, the novel educational platform evaluates the efficacy of “Just-in-Time” (JiT) tourniquet application training.

The authors hypothesize that the utilization of JiT training will be effective in promoting both competence and confidence for individuals to utilize tourniquets in response to a disaster environment.

This Institutional Review Board-approved study recruited medical students who were trained in hemorrhage control measures at a Level 1 Trauma Center. Tourniquet training sessions were held, and naïve civilians received tourniquet education. The subjects received a five- to ten-minute lesson on indications, contraindications, and application techniques of commercial and improvisational tourniquets. Participants subsequently applied a tourniquet to an instructor’s arm to demonstrate proper tourniquet application for a brachial artery hemorrhage. Pre- and post-educational surveys were completed to test participant competency and confidence.

Of the 104 subjects who completed the course, 97 had no prior training in hemorrhage control techniques, including commercial and improvisational tourniquet application. The mean pre-test score was 2.27/5.00 and the mean post-test score was 4.38/5.00, P <.001 (n = 97). When queried “How competent would you feel applying a tourniquet (commercial or improvisational) on an individual with a bleeding wound?” 92/97 felt confident (95%), one felt less confident, and four felt no difference in confidence levels (P <.001).

Just-in-Time training is an effective method in teaching naïve civilians proper tourniquet application. This platform could serve as an alternative to more extensive training programs and requires less time, costs, and resources. If a significant number of individuals in a local community can effectively apply a tourniquet in a disaster scenario, a “herd immunity” effect could be achieved to control peripheral hemorrhages.

Severe trauma can lead to amputation of limbs. There is no golden standard or comprehensive evaluation indicator for amputation. It is difficult for the primary rescue organization to focus on the most essential indicators and to determine whether to perform amputation or take proper operation.

For medical staff in first-line medical teams for disaster relief or in a common primary hospital, what indicators should they focus on to keep the patient’s limbs when they receive wounded patients with severe trauma?

A retrospective case-control study was performed based on the patients with severe trauma from January 2013 through December 2018 in the emergency department of Southwest Hospital (Shapingba District, Chongqing, China), a Level I trauma center. A total of 165 cases were divided into amputation group (n = 79) and non-amputation control group (n = 86), which had severe skin and muscle injury but without amputation. The causes of trauma and the special cases were analyzed. Binary logistic regression models were used to find the essential indicators for amputation.

Neurovascular injury with delayed treatment was the most decisive indicator leading to amputation, and time phase was also important for limb salvage. Preliminary treatment of disaster victims and patients with severe trauma should focus on neurovascular status and timely delivery.

Recent natural and infrastructural disasters, such as Hurricanes Sandy (2012) and Katrina (2005) and the Northeastern power outage of 2003, have emphasized the need for hospital staff to be trained in disaster management and response. Even an internal hospital disaster may require the safe and efficient evacuation and transfer of patients with varying medical conditions and complications. A notably susceptible population is renal transplant patients, including those with post-transplant complications.

This descriptive study evaluated staff performance of a vertical evacuation drill of renal transplant patients at State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center – University Hospital Brooklyn (UHB; Brooklyn, New York USA).

Thirteen standardized patients, 12 of whom received a renal transplant, with varying medical histories, ambulatory ability, and mental status were vertically evacuated by the transplant staff from the eighth floor to the ambulance entrance on the ground floor. Non-ambulatory patients were transported on portable evacuation sleds.

All patients were evacuated successfully within 3.5 hours. On a post-drill evaluation form, drill participants self-reported largely positive results concerning their own role in the drill and the evacuation drill itself. Drill evaluators observed very different results, including staff reticence, poor training retention, and lack of leadership.

Despite encouraging post-drill evaluation results from the participants, the evacuation drill highlighted several immediate deficiencies. It also demonstrated a significant discrepancy in performance perception between the drill participants and the drill evaluators.

SalwayRJ, AdlerZ, WilliamsT, NwokeF, RoblinP, ArquillaB. The Challenges of a Vertical Evacuation Drill. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(1):25–29.

Cultural awareness can be defined as an understanding of the differences that exist between cultures. This understanding is a crucial first step towards the development of cultural sensitivity, a willingness to accept those differences as having equal merit, and becoming operationally effective when working within different cultures. The benefits of cultural awareness have become apparent in recent decades, including within governments, militaries, and corporations. Many organizations have developed cultural awareness training for their staffs to improve cross-cultural cooperation. However, there has not been a large movement toward cultural sensitivity training among non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who provide aid globally, across a number of countries and cultures. Cultural awareness can be a useful tool which enables an NGO to better serve the populations with which they engage.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the presence of cultural awareness training for employees and volunteers working within international NGOs.

Ten of the largest international NGOs were identified. Their websites were evaluated for any mention of training in cultural awareness available to their employees and volunteers. All ten were then contacted via their public email addresses to find out if they provide any form of cultural awareness training.

Of the ten NGOs identified, none had any publicly available cultural awareness training on their websites. One NGO dealt with cultural awareness by only hiring local staff, who were already a part of the prevalent culture of the area. None of the others who responded provided any cultural awareness training.

Cultural awareness is a vital tool when working internationally. Large NGOs, which operate in a wide-range of cultures, have an obligation to act in a culturally aware and accepting manner. Most large NGOs currently lack a systematic, robust cultural awareness training for their employees and volunteers.

Unexpected disasters, such as earthquakes or fires, require preparation to address knowledge gaps that may negatively affect vulnerable patients. Training programs can promote natural disaster readiness to respond and evacuate patients safely, but also require evidence-based information to guide learning objectives.

There is limited evidence on what skills and bedside equipment are most important to include in disaster training and evacuation programs for critically ill infants.

An expert panel was used to create a 13-item mastery checklist of skills for bedside registered nurses (RNs) required to successfully evacuate a critically ill infant. Expert nurses were surveyed, and the Angoff method was used to determine which of the mastery checklist skills a newly graduated nurse (ie, the “minimally competent” nurse) should be able to do. Participants then rated the importance of 26 commonly available pieces of bedside equipment for use in evacuating a hemodynamically unstable, intubated infant during a disaster.

Twenty-three emergency department (ED) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) charge RNs responded to the survey with a mean of 19 (SD = 9) years of experience and 30% reporting personal experience with evacuating patients. The skills list scores showed an emphasis on the newly graduated nurse having more complete mastery of skills surrounding thermoregulation, documentation, infection control, respiratory support, and monitoring. Skills for communication, decision making, and anticipating future needs were assessed as less likely for a new nurse to have mastered. On a scale of one (not important) to seven (critically important), the perceived necessity of equipment ranged from a low of 1.6 (breast pump) to a high of 6.9 (face mask). The individual intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.55 showed moderate reliability between raters and the average team ICC of 0.97 showed excellent agreement as a group.

Experts rated the ability to manage physiological issues, such as thermoregulation and respiratory support, as skills that every nurse should master. Disaster preparedness activities for nurses in training may benefit from checklists of essential equipment and skills to ensure all nurses can independently manage patients’ physiologic needs when they enter the workforce. Advanced nursing training should include education on decision making, communication during emergencies, and anticipation of future issues to ensure that charge and resource nurses can support bedside nurses during evacuation events.

Emergency medical teams (EMTs) have helped to provide surgical care in many recent sudden onset disasters (SODs), especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). General surgical training in Australia has undergone considerable change in recent years, and it is not known whether the new generation of general surgeons is equipped with the broad surgical skills needed to operate as part of EMTs.

To analyze the differences between the procedures performed by contemporary Australian general surgeons during training and the procedures performed by EMTs responding to SODs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

General surgical trainee logbooks between February 2008 and January 2017 were obtained from General Surgeons Australia. Operating theatre logs from EMTs working during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, 2014 typhoon in the Philippines, and 2015 earthquake in Nepal were also obtained. These caseloads were collated and compared.

A total of 1,396,383 procedures were performed by Australian general surgical trainees in the study period. The most common procedure categories were abdominal wall hernia procedures (12.7%), cholecystectomy (11.7%), and specialist colorectal procedures (11.5%). Of note, Caesarean sections, hysterectomy, fracture repair, specialist neurosurgical, and specialist pediatric surgical procedures all made up <1% of procedures each. There were a total of 3,542 procedures recorded in the EMT case logs. The most common procedures were wound debridement (31.5%), other trauma (13.3%), and Caesarean section (12.5%). Specialist colorectal, hepato-pancreaticobiliary, upper gastrointestinal, urological, vascular, neurosurgical, and pediatric surgical procedures all made up <1% each.

Australian general surgical trainees get limited exposure to the obstetric, gynecological, and orthopedic procedures that are common during EMT responses to SODs. However, there is considerable exposure to the soft tissue wound management and abdominal procedures.

International Emergency Medical Teams’ (I-EMTs) response to disasters has been characterized by a late arrival, an over-focus on trauma care, and a lack of coordination and accountability mechanisms. Analysis of I-EMT performance in past and upcoming disasters is deemed necessary to improve future response.

This study aimed to describe the characteristics, timing, and activities of I-EMTs deployed to the 2015 Nepal earthquake, and to assess their registration and adherence to the World Health Organization Emergency Medical Teams’ (WHO-EMT; Geneva, Switzerland) minimum standards compared to past disasters.

An online literature search was performed and key web sites related to I-EMT deployments were purposively examined. The methodology used is reported following the STARLITE principles. All articles and documents in English containing information about characteristics, timing, and activities of I-EMTs during Nepal 2015 were included in the study. Data were retrieved from selected sources to compile the results following a systematic approach. The findings were validated by the Nepalese focal point for the coordination of I-EMTs after the earthquake.

Overall, 137 I-EMTs deployed from 36 countries. They were classified as Type I (65%), Type II (15%), Type III (1%), and specialized cells (19%). Although national teams remained the first responders, two regional I-EMTs arrived within the first 24 hours post-earthquake. According to daily reporting, the activities performed by I-EMTs included 28,372 out-patient consultations (comprising 6,073 trauma cases); 1,499 in-patient admissions; and 440 major surgeries. The activities reported by I-EMTs during their deployment were significantly lower than the capacities they offered at arrival. Over 80% of I-EMTs registered through WHO or national registration mechanisms, but daily reporting of activities by I-EMTs was low. The adherence of I-EMTs to WHO-EMT standards could not be assessed due to lack of data.

The I-EMT response to the Nepal earthquake was quicker than in previous disasters, and registration and follow-up of I-EMTs was better. Still, there is need to improve I-EMT coordination, reporting, and quality assurance while strengthening national EMT capacity.

Amat Camacho N, Karki K, Subedi S, von Schreeb J. International Emergency Medical Teams in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(3):260–264.

Within out-of-hospital emergencies, primary health care (PHC) nurses must face life-threatening emergencies (LTEs), which are defined as “a situation associated with an imminent life risk that entails the start-up of resources and special means to resolve the situation.”

The objectives of this study were to know the training received for out-of-hospital LTEs by PHC nurses of Asturias, Spain and the perception they have about their theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a series of emergency procedures or techniques used in LTE emergencies; as well as to analyze the differences according to the geographical area of their work.

Cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study was conducted in 2018 of a sample of PHC service nurses of Asturias, Spain.

A total of 236 nurses from PHC service centers of Asturias, Spain, from among the total of 730 nurses who make up the staff of nurses of the PHC service of Asturias, between April and May 2018, were surveyed. The survey was designed ad hoc using the Doctrinal Body of Emergency Nursing (DBEN) proposed by the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES; Madrid, Spain), which indicates the theoretical and practical procedures that must be acquired by the PHC nurses. It is composed of 37 procedures or techniques employed in LTEs using an 11-point Likert scale rating to detect their self-perception about theoretical knowledge and practical skills from zero (“Minimum”) to ten (“Maximum”).

There were significant differences in the mean of theoretical knowledge and practical skills in many procedures or techniques studied, depending on the different areas of work.

All PHC nurses must be perfectly trained to provide initial quality assistance to the LTE, with both theoretical and practical knowledge of the different techniques, so that it can continue to be attended by the corresponding Emergency Service.

In addition to the traditional logistics role, pharmacists are undertaking important new roles in disasters. Despite this, little is known about the level of acceptance of these activities by other providers.

The aim of this study was to determine the international opinion of disaster and health professionals regarding the emerging roles of pharmacists in disasters.

Delegates at the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine’s (WADEM; Madison, Wisconsin USA) 20th Congress in Toronto, Canada (April 2017) were invited to complete an anonymous survey posing eight questions regarding attitudes towards pharmacists’ roles in disasters. Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM (IBM Corp.; Armonk, New York USA) SPSS statistical software version 23, and qualitative data were manually coded.

Of the 222 surveys handed out, 126 surveys were completed yielding a 56.8% response rate. Of the respondents, 96.8% (122/126) believed pharmacists had a role in disasters additional to logistics. Out of 11 potential roles pharmacists could perform in a disaster, provided on a 5-point Likert scale, eight roles were given a rating of “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” by 72.4% or more of the participants. Lack of understanding of a pharmacist’s roles and capabilities was the highest described barrier to pharmacists’ roles in disaster management.

This multi-disciplinary disaster health “community” agreed pharmacists have roles in disasters in addition to the established role in supply chain logistics. Participants accepted that pharmacists could possibly undertake numerous clinical roles in a disaster. Several barriers were identified that may be preventing pharmacists from being further included in disaster health management planning and response.

WatsonKE, TippettV, SingletonJA, NissenLM. Disaster Health Management: Do Pharmacists Fit in the Team?Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(1):30–37.

Air medical transport of trauma patients from the scene of injury plays a critical role in the delivery of severely injured patients to trauma centers. Over-triage of patients to trauma centers reduces the system efficiency and jeopardizes safety of air medical crews.

The objective of this study was to determine which triage factors utilized by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers are strong predictors of early discharge for trauma patients transported by helicopter to a trauma center.

A retrospective chart review over a two-year period was performed for trauma patients flown from the injury site into a Level I trauma center by an air medical transport program. Demographic and clinical data were collected on each patient. Prehospital factors such as Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), intubation status, mechanism of injury, anatomic injuries, physiologic parameters, and any combinations of these factors were investigated to determine which triage criteria accurately predicted early discharge. Hospital factors such as Injury Severity Score (ISS), length-of-stay (LOS), survival, and emergency department disposition were also collected. Early discharge was defined as a hospital stay of less than 24 hours in a patient who survives their injuries. A more stringent definition of appropriate triage was defined as a patient with in-hospital death, an ISS >15, those taken to the operating room (OR) or intensive care unit (ICU), or those receiving blood products. Those patients who failed to meet these criteria were also used to determine over-triage rates.

An overall early discharge rate of 35% was found among the study population. Furthermore, when the more stringent definition was applied, over-triage rates were as high as 85%. Positive predictive values indicated that patients who met at least one anatomic and physiologic criteria were appropriately transported by helicopter as 94% of these patients had stays longer than 24 hours. No other criteria or combination of criteria had a high predictive value for early discharge.

No individual triage criteria or combination of criteria examined demonstrated the ability to uniformly predict an early discharge. Although helicopter transport and subsequent hospital care is costly and resource consuming, it appears that a significant number of patients will be discharged within 24 hours of their transport to a trauma center. Future studies must determine the impact of eliminating “low-yield” triage criteria on under-triage of scene trauma patients.

Prolonged conditions of chronic stress have the potential to cause mental health difficulties and disrupt developmental processes for children and adolescents. Natural disasters disproportionately affect low-resource areas, yet little is known about the interaction between trauma exposure, chronic stressors, and mental health.

To determine the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety among adolescents affected by earthquakes in China and Nepal, and examine the specific roles of trauma exposure and chronic stressors across the three mental health outcomes.

A school-based, cross-sectional study of 4,215 adolescents (53% female, ages 15-19 years) was conducted in disaster-affected areas of southern China and Nepal. Participants completed a series of translated and culturally adapted standardized assessments. Mixed effects logistic regression analyses were conducted for each mental health outcome.

The overall rate of PTSD was 22.7% and was higher among Nepalese participants (China: 19.4% vs. Nepal: 26.8%, p<0.001), but did not differ between genders (China: p=0.087 and Nepal: p=0.758). In both countries, the level of trauma exposure was a significant risk factor for PTSD, depression, and anxiety (China: OR’s 1.09-1.18 and Nepal: OR’s 1.08-1.13). Chronic stressors significantly improved the model and further contributed to mental health outcomes (China: OR’s 1.23-1.26 and Nepal: OR’s 1.10-1.23). Multilevel risk and protective factors across all mental health outcomes will be presented.

While there are limited opportunities to protect adolescents from disaster exposure, there is significant potential to address the effects of ongoing economic insecurity, domestic violence, and school cessation that are likely to worsen mental health outcomes. Programs that identify chronic stressors for adolescents in disaster-affected settings, and work to address poverty and violence, will have cascading effects for mental health, development, and security.

In recent years, several high-profile attacks on hospitals providing medical aid in conflict settings have raised international concern. The International Humanitarian Law prohibits the deliberate targeting of health care settings. Violation of this law is considered a war crime and impacts both those delivering and receiving medical aid.

While it has been demonstrated that both aid workers and health care settings are increasingly being targeted, little is known about the trends and characteristics of security incidents involving aid workers in health care compared to non-health care settings.

Data from the publicly available Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) containing security incidents involving humanitarian aid workers world-wide were used in this study. The security incidents occurring from January 1, 1997 through December 31, 2016 were classified by two independent reviewers as having occurred in health care and non-health care settings, and those in health care settings were further classified into five categories (hospital, health clinic, mobile clinic, ambulance, and vaccination visit) for the analysis. A stratified descriptive analysis, χ2 Goodness of Fit test, and Cochran-Armitage test for trend were used to examine and compare security incidents occurring in health care and non-health care settings.

Among the 2,139 security incidents involving 4,112 aid workers listed in the AWSD during the study period, 74 and 2,065 incidents were in health care settings and non-health care settings, respectively. There was a nine-fold increase from five to 45 incidents in health care settings (χ2 = 56.27; P < .001), and a five-fold increase from 159 to 852 incidents in non-health care settings (χ2 = 591.55; P < .001), from Period 1 (1997-2001) to Period 4 (2012-2016). Of the 74 incidents in health care settings, 23 (31.1%) occurred in ambulances, 15 (20.3%) in hospitals, 13 (17.6%) in health clinics, 13 (17.6%) during vaccination visits, and six (8.1%) in mobile clinics. Bombings were the most common means of attack in hospitals (N = 9; 60.0%), followed by gun attacks (N = 3; 20.0%). In health care settings, 184 (95.3%) were national staff and nine (4.7%) were international staff.

Security threats are a growing occupational health hazard for aid workers, especially those working in health care settings. There is a need for high-quality data from the field to better monitor the rapidly changing security situation and improve counter-strategies so aid workers can serve those in need without having to sacrifice their lives.