Drowning remains a significant cause of mortality among children world-wide, making prevention strategies crucial. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends training children in safe rescue techniques, including the use of basic skills such as throwing floating objects. This study aims to address a knowledge gap regarding the throwing capabilities of children aged six to twelve using conventional and alternative water rescue materials.

A total of 374 children aged six to twelve years participated in the study, including both males and females. A randomized crossover approach was used to compare throws with conventional rescue material (ring buoy and rescue tube) to an alternative material (polyethylene terephthalate [PET]-bottle). Throwing distance and accuracy were assessed based on age, sex, and the type of rescue tools used.

Children of all ages were able to throw the PET-bottle significantly farther than both the ring buoy (P <.001; d = 1.19) and the rescue tube (P <.001; d = 0.60). There were no significant differences (P = .414) in the percentage of children who managed to throw each object accurately.

Conventional rescue materials, particularly the ring buoy, may not be well-suited for long-distance throws by children. In contrast, lighter and smaller alternatives, such as PET-bottles, prove to be more adaptable to children’s characteristics, enabling them to achieve greater throwing distances. The emphasis on cost-effective and easily accessible alternatives should be implemented in drowning prevention programs or life-saving courses delivered to children.

This study assesses the operational challenges and clinical outcomes encountered by a university-based Emergency Medical Team (EMT) during the medical search and rescue (mSAR) response to the February 2023 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.

In this observational study, data were retrospectively collected from 42 individuals who received mSAR services post-earthquake. The challenges were categorized as environmental, logistical, or medical, with detailed documentation of rescue times, patient demographics, injury types, and medical interventions.

In this mSAR study, 42 patients from 30 operations were analyzed and divided into environmental (26.2%), logistical (52.4%), and medical (21.4%) challenge groups. Median rescue times were 29 (IQR 28–30), 36.5 (IQR 33.75–77.75), and 30.5 (IQR 29.5–35.5) hours for each group, respectively (P = .002). Age distribution did not significantly differ across groups (P = .067). Hypothermia affected 18.2%, 45.5%, and 66.7% in the respective groups. Extremity injuries were most common in the medical group (88.9%). Intravenous access was highest in the medical group (88.9%), while splinting was more frequent in the medical (55.6%) and logistical (18.2%) groups. Hypothermia was most prevalent in the medical group (66.7%), followed by the logistical group (45.5%). Ambulance transport post-rescue was utilized for a minority in all groups.

The study concludes that logistical challenges, more than environmental or medical challenges, significantly prolong the duration of mSAR operations and exacerbate clinical outcomes like hypothermia, informing future enhancements in disaster response planning and execution.

The sudden onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was accompanied by a myriad of ethical issues that prompted the issuing of various ethical guidance documents for health care professionals in clinical, research, and public health settings throughout the United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The aim of this review was to identify the main principles in ethical guidance documents published in the UK and Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This review used a qualitative systematic review methodology with thematic synthesis to analyze the included ethics-related guidance documents, as defined in this review, published in the UK and Ireland from March 2020 through March 2022. The search included a general search in Google Scholar and a targeted search on the websites of the relevant professional bodies and public health authorities in the two countries. The ethical principles in these documents were analyzed using the constant comparative method (CCM).

Forty-four guidance documents met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ten main ethical principles were identified, namely: fairness, honesty, minimizing harm, proportionality, responsibility, autonomy, respect, informed decision making, duty of care, and reciprocity.

The guidelines did not present the ethical principles in equal detail. Some principles lacked definitions, leaving them vulnerable to misinterpretation by the documents’ end users. Priority was frequently given to collectivist ethics over individualistic approaches. Further clarity is required in future ethical guidance documents to better guide health care professionals in similar situations.

To investigate the status quo of residents’ knowledge, attitude, belief, and practice (KABP) and social support and the correlation of KABP with social support under normalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic prevention and control.

A questionnaire was designed based on the KABP model, and an online survey was conducted among residents in September 2022. SPSS software (version 25.0) was used to analyze the data. Two independent sample t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate linear regression analysis, and Pearson’s correlation analysis were conducted.

In total, 326 valid questionnaires were obtained. The scoring rates of residents’ KABP and social support were 68.1%, 92.2%, 89.3%, 75.3%, and 62.6%, respectively. Main factors influencing residents’ knowledge included gender, nationality, education level, practice, and social support; those influencing attitude were belief and practice; those influencing belief were place of residence, attitude, and practice; those influencing practice were knowledge, attitude, belief, and social support; and those influencing social support were marital status, place of residence, knowledge, and practice. Social support was positively correlated with knowledge and practice.

This study provides a scientific foundation for the current normalized prevention and control of COVID-19 and is conducive to health managers to better carry out prevention and control related health education for specific groups.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a globally devastating psychosocial impact. A detailed understanding of the mental health implications of this worldwide crisis is critical for successful mitigation of and preparation for future pandemics. Using a large international sample, we investigated in the present study the relationship between multiple COVID-19 parameters (both disease characteristics and government responses) and the incidence of the suicide crisis syndrome (SCS), an acute negative affect state associated with near-term suicidal behavior.

Data were collected from 5528 adults across 10 different countries in an anonymous web-based survey between June 2020 and January 2021.

Individuals scoring above the SCS cut-off lived in countries with higher peak daily cases and deaths during the first wave of the pandemic. Additionally, the longer participants had been exposed to markers of pandemic severity (eg, lockdowns), the more likely they were to screen positive for the SCS. Findings reflected both country-to-country comparisons and individual variation within the pooled sample.

Both the pandemic itself and the government interventions utilized to contain the spread appear to be associated with suicide risk. Public policy should include efforts to mitigate the mental health impact of current and future global disasters.

In the aftermath of earthquakes, the availability of emergency units and operating rooms (OR) in hospitals can make a difference in the survival of those injured. OR professionals’ experience during earthquakes is vital for ensuring safe and effective surgical procedures. This study was conducted to explore perceptions and describe the experiences of OR professionals, aiming to improve OR processes during and after earthquakes.

This phenomenological study employed semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data from 16 OR professionals who experienced the earthquake. Purposeful sampling was utilized for face-to-face interviews, and MAXQDA20 was used for content analysis.

The primary themes included workplace perspectives, during-earthquake experiences, ethical considerations, and post-earthquake experiences. The workplace was described as unique, dynamic, stressful, and disciplined. Participants experienced fear and panic during the earthquake. Abandoning patients was deemed unethical, resulting in ethical quandaries for professionals when their safety was at risk.

Participants displayed responsibility and ethical conduct while remaining with the patients during the tremor. Implementing practices is crucial in mitigating fear and chaos and improving information management. As such, it is highly recommended that hospital disaster plans incorporate the active participation of OR professionals.