66 research outputs found
Evaluation of a Scalable Information Analytics System for Enhanced Situational Awareness in Mass Casualty Events
We investigate the utility of DIORAMA-II system which provides enhanced situational awareness within a disaster scene by using real-time visual analytics tools and a collaboration platform between the incident commander and the emergency responders. Our trials were conducted in different geographical areas (feature-rich and featureless regions) and in different lighting conditions (daytime and nighttime). DIORAMA-II obtained considerable time gain in efficiency compared to conventional paper based systems. DIORAMA-II time gain was reflected in reduction of both average triage time per patient (up to 34.3% average triage time reduction per patient) and average transport time per patient (up to 76.3% average transport time reduction per red patient and up to 66.3% average transport time reduction per yellow patient). In addition, DIORAMA-II ensured that no patients were left behind or transported in the incorrect order compared to the conventional method which resulted in patients being left behind and transported in the incorrect order
Malaysian disaster medicine research: a bibliographic study of publication trends
Introduction: Despite the increasing risks and complexity of disasters, education for
Malaysian health care providers in this domain is limited. This study aims to assess scholarly
publications by Malaysian scholars on Disaster Medicine (DM)-related topics.
Methodology: An electronic search of five selected journals from 1991 through 2021
utilizing multiple keywords relevant to DM was conducted for review and analysis.
Results: A total of 154 articles were included for analysis. The mean number of publications
per year from 1991 through 2021 was 5.1 publications. Short reports were the most common
research type (53.2%), followed by original research (32.4%) and case reports (12.3%). Mean
citations among the included articles were 12.4 citations. Most author collaborations were
within the same agency or institution, and there was no correlation between the type of collaboration
and the number of citations (P = .942). While a few clusters of scholars could
build a strong network across institutions, most research currently conducted in DM was
within small, isolated clusters.
Conclusion: Disaster Medicine in Malaysia is a growing medical subspecialty with a
significant recent surge in research activity, likely due to the SARS-CoV-2/coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Since most publications in DM have been on
infectious diseases, the need to expand DM-related research on other topics is essentia
Emergency medical services preparedness in dual disasters: war in the era of COVID-19 in Armenia
Introduction: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a critical part of Disaster Medicine
and has the ability to limit morbidity and mortality in a disaster event with sufficient training
and experience. Emergency systems in Armenia are in an early stage of development and
there is no Emergency Medicine residency training in the country. As a result, EMS physicians
are trained in a variety of specialties.
Armenia is also a country prone to disasters, and recently, the ArmenianEMSsystem was
challenged by two concurrent disasters when the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out in
the midst of the SARS-CoV-2/coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Study Objective: This study aims to assess the current state of disaster preparedness of the
Armenian EMS system and the effects of the simultaneous pandemic and war on EMS
providers.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted by anonymous survey distributed to
physicians still working in the Yerevan EMS system who provided care to war casualties and
COVID-19 patients.
Results: Survey response rate was 70.6%.Most participants had been a physician (52.1%) or
EMS physician (66.7%) for three or less years. The majority were still in residency (64.6%).
Experience in battlefield medicine was limited prior to the war, with the majority reporting
no experience in treating mass casualties (52.1%), wounds from explosives (52.1%), or performing
surgical procedures (52.1%), and many reporting minimal to no experience in treating
gunshot wounds (62.5%), severe burns (64.6%), and severe orthopedic injuries (64.6%).
Participants had moderate experience in humanitarian medicine prior to war. Greater experience
in battlefield medicine was found in participants with more than three years of experience
as a physician (z-score −3.26; P value <.01) or as anEMS physician (z-score −2.76; P
value <.01) as well as being at least 30 years old (z-score −2.11; P value = .03). Most participants
felt they were personally in danger during the war at least sometimes (89.6%).
Conclusion: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and simultaneous 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh
War, EMS physicians in Armenia had limited training and experience in Disaster Medicine.
This system, and the frontline physicians on whom it relies, was strained by the dual disaster,
highlighting the need for Disaster Medicine training in all prehospital medical providers
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