Role of Emergency Medical Services in Disaster Response - National Association of EMS Physicians Position Statement.

This is the official position statement of the National Association of EMS Physicians on the role of emergency medical services (EMS) in disaster response.

Community Testing and SARS-CoV-2 Rates for Latinxs in Baltimore.

Introduction: Latinxs have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Latinx immigrants, in particular, face significant barriers to SARS-CoV-2 testing, including lack of insurance, language barriers, stigma, work conflicts, and limited transportation.

Methods: In response to a disproportionately high SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate among Latinxs at the Johns Hopkins Health System, investigators implemented free community-based testing by partnering with religious leaders and leveraging the skill of trusted community health workers.

Hospital Surge Capacity: A Web-Based Simulation Tool for Emergency Planners.

The National Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response (PACER) has created a publicly available simulation tool called Surge (accessible at http://www.pacerapps.org) to estimate surge capacity for user-defined hospitals.

The utility of and risks associated with the use of spontaneous volunteers in disaster response: a survey.

Objective: The use of spontaneous volunteers (SV) is common after a disaster, but their limited training and experience can create a danger for the SVs and nongovernmental voluntary organizations (NVOs). We assessed the experience of NVOs with SVs during disasters, how they were integrated into the agency's infrastructure, their perceived value to previous responses, and liability issues associated with their use.

Methods: Of the 51 National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters organizations that were contacted for surveys, 24 (47%) agreed to participate.

Critical resources for hospital surge capacity: an expert consensus panel.

Background: Hospital surge capacity (HSC) is dependent on the ability to increase or conserve resources. The hospital surge model put forth by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) estimates the resources needed by hospitals to treat casualties resulting from 13 national planning scenarios. However, emergency planners need to know which hospital resource are most critical in order to develop a more accurate plan for HSC in the event of a disaster.

Assessment of psychological preparedness and emergency response willingness of local public health department and hospital workers.

This study sought to investigate the relationship between psychologically-related attitudes/beliefs toward public health emergency response among local health department (LHD) and hospital workers and their willingness to respond to a pandemic influenza emergency scenario and a radiological 'dirty' bomb scenario, to inform workforce resilience-building interventions. LHD and hospital workers participated in a survey based on an established threat- and efficacy-oriented behavioral model (the extended parallel process model) that focused on collection of the aforementioned attitudes, beliefs, and self-reported response willingness. Odds ratios associating psychologically-related attitudes and beliefs with self-reported response willingness were computed Perceived levels of psychological preparedness and support were shown to impact response willingness, with more pronounced effects in the radiological 'dirty' bomb scenario.

Hospital-based shootings in the United States: 2000 to 2011.

Study Objective: Workplace violence in health care settings is a frequent occurrence. Emergency departments (EDs) are considered particularly vulnerable. Gunfire in hospitals is of particular concern; however, information about such workplace violence is limited.

Impact of the 2010 pakistan floods on rural and urban populations at six months.

Unlabelled: The 2010 Pakistan flood affected 20 million people. The impact of the event and recovery is measured at 6 months.

Methods: Cross-sectional cluster survey of 1769 households conducted six months post-flood in 29 most-affected districts.

Characterizing public health emergency perceptions and influential modifiers of willingness to respond among pediatric healthcare staff.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the public health emergency perceptions and willingness to respond (WTR) of hospital-based pediatric staff and to use these findings to propose a methodology for developing an institution-specific training package to improve response willingness.

Methods: A prospective anonymous web-based survey was conducted at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, including the 180-bed Johns Hopkins Children's Center, between January and March 2009. In this survey, participants' attitudes/beliefs regarding emergency response to a pandemic influenza and a radiological dispersal device (RDD or "dirty bomb") event were assessed.

Characterizing hospital workers' willingness to respond to a radiological event.

Introduction: Terrorist use of a radiological dispersal device (RDD, or "dirty bomb"), which combines a conventional explosive device with radiological materials, is among the National Planning Scenarios of the United States government. Understanding employee willingness to respond is critical for planning experts. Previous research has demonstrated that perception of threat and efficacy is key in the assessing willingness to respond to a RDD event.

Role of emergency medical services in disaster response: resource document for the National Association of EMS Physicians position statement.

The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) advocates for a strong emergency medical services (EMS) role in all phases of disaster management--preparedness, response, and recovery. Emergency medical services administrators and medical directors should play a leadership role in preparedness activities such as training and education, development of performance metrics, establishment of memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and planning for licensure and liability issues. During both the planning and response phases, EMS leadership should advocate for participation in unified command, modified scope of practice appropriate for providers and the event, and expanded roles in community and federal response efforts.

Association of allogeneic red-blood cell transfusion with surgeon case-volume.

Background: Surgeon case-volume predicts a variety of patient outcomes. We hypothesize that surgeon case-volume predicts RBC transfusion across different surgical procedures.

Methods: We performed a cohort study of 372,670 in-patient surgical cases in the 52 non-federal hospitals in Maryland between 2004 and 2005.

Characterizing hospital workers' willingness to report to duty in an influenza pandemic through threat- and efficacy-based assessment.

Background: Hospital-based providers' willingness to report to work during an influenza pandemic is a critical yet under-studied phenomenon. Witte's Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) has been shown to be useful for understanding adaptive behavior of public health workers to an unknown risk, and thus offers a framework for examining scenario-specific willingness to respond among hospital staff.

Methods: We administered an anonymous online EPPM-based survey about attitudes/beliefs toward emergency response, to all 18,612 employees of the Johns Hopkins Hospital from January to March 2009.

Physical limitations contribute to food insecurity and the food insecurity-obesity paradox in older adults at senior centers in Georgia.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of obesity and physical limitations with food insecurity among Georgians participating in the Older Americans Act (OAA) congregate meal-site program (N = 621, median age = 76 years, 83% female, 36% Black, and 64% White, convenience sample). Food insecurity was assessed using the modified 6-item US Household Food Security Survey Module; obesity was defined as Body Mass Index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC) class I or II obesity; and physical limitations (arthritis, joint pain, poor physical function, weight-related disability) were based on the Disablement Process. A series of multivariate logistic regression models found weight-related disability and obesity (WC class II) may be potential risk factors for food insecurity.

Change in use of allogeneic red blood cell transfusions among surgical patients.

Background: Although RBC transfusions can be lifesaving, recent evidence suggests that their use is associated with added morbidity and mortality and that a lower transfusion threshold is safe. It is unclear if this new evidence has translated into decreased RBC use among surgical patients. The purpose of this study is to measure the change in use of RBCs during the last decade.

Development of evaluation modules for use in hospital disaster drills.

Introduction: Disaster drills are a valuable means of training healthcare providers to respond to mass casualty incidents resulting from acts of terrorism or public health crises. We present here a proposed hospital-based disaster drill evaluation tool that is designed to identify strengths and weaknesses of hospital disaster drill response, provide a learning opportunity for disaster drill participants, and promote integration of lessons learned into future responses.

Methods: Clinical specialists, experienced disaster drill coordinators and evaluators, and experts in questionnaire design developed the evaluation modules based upon a comprehensive review of the literature, including evaluations of disaster drills.

Effectiveness of hospital staff mass-casualty incident training methods: a systematic literature review.

Introduction: Recently, mass-casualty incident (MCI) preparedness and training has received increasing attention at the hospital level.

Objectives: To review the existing evidence on the effectiveness of disaster drills, technology-based interventions and tabletop exercises in training hospital staff to respond to an MCI.

Methods: A systematic, evidence-based process was conducted incorporating expert panel input and a literature review with the key terms: "mass casualty", "disaster", "disaster planning", and "drill".

Threats in bioterrorism. I: CDC category A agents.

Although once considered unlikely, bioterrorism is now a reality in the United States since the anthrax cases began appearing in the fall of 2001. Intelligence sources indicate there are many countries and terrorist organizations that either possess biological weapons or are attempting to procure them. In the future it is likely that we will experience additional acts of bioterrorism.