Maladaptive behaviors in disasters: case study evaluation of Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti Earthquake.

Maladaptive behaviors during a disaster refer to actions that do not benefit the individual or society. Quarantelli highlights several maladaptive behaviors myths associated with disasters: widespread antisocial behavior, passivity, role conflict or abandonment, and sudden widespread mental health breakdowns (1). Despite early work reporting these myths, the common perception is that maladaptive behaviors such as rioting, looting, panic, and criminal conduct are prevalent in the wake of disasters.

The 2023 Model Core Content of Disaster Medicine.

Introduction: Disaster Medicine (DM) is the clinical specialty whose expertise includes the care and management of patients and populations outside conventional care protocols. While traditional standards of care assume the availability of adequate resources, DM practitioners operate in situations where resources are not adequate, necessitating a modification in practice. While prior academic efforts have succeeded in developing a list of core disaster competencies for emergency medicine residency programs, international fellowships, and affiliated health care providers, no official standardized curriculum or consensus has yet been published to date for DM fellowship programs based in the United States.

A framework for the design and implementation of Stop the Bleed and public access trauma equipment programs.

Traumatic injuries remain the leading cause of death for those under the age of 44 years old. Nearly a third of those who die from trauma do so from bleeding. Reducing death from severe bleeding requires training in the recognition and treatment of life-threatening bleeding, as well as programs to ensure immediate access to bleeding control resources.

Disaster Medicine: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature From 2016.

Objective: The Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Disaster Medicine Interest Group, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response - Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (ASPR TRACIE) team, and the National Institutes of Health Library searched disaster medicine peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify, review, and disseminate the most important new research in this field for academics and practitioners.

Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus databases were searched with key words. Additional gray literature and focused hand search were performed.

The Use of Automated External Defibrillators in Infants: A Report From the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council.

Objective: Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been used successfully in many populations to improve survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. While ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia are more prevalent in adults, these arrhythmias do occur in infants. The Scientific Advisory Council of the American Red Cross reviewed the literature on the use of AEDs in infants in order to make recommendations on use in the population.

Elevated lipase without pancreatitis in infectious colitis.

Background: An elevated lipase typically confirms the diagnosis of pancreatitis. Elevated lipase may be associated with other disorders, typically with some influence on the pancreas. The differential is more limited than elevated amylase secondary to the mostly unique production of lipase in pancreatic acinar cells.

Prehospital care algorithm for blast injuries due to bombing incidents.

Terrorist bombings continue to remain a risk for local jurisdictions, and retrospective data from the United States show that bombings occur in residential and business areas due to interpersonal violence without political motives. In the event of a mass-casualty bombing incident, prehospital care providers will have the responsibility for identifying and managing blast injuries unique to bombing victims. In a large-scale event, emergency medical services personnel should be required to provide prolonged medical care in the prehospital setting, and they will be able to deliver improved care with a better understanding of blast injuries and a concise algorithm for managing them.

Variation in medication information for elderly patients during initial interventions by emergency department physicians.

Purpose: Discrepancies between medication information received from elderly patients in the emergency department (ED) at the time of initial diagnosis or therapeutic intervention and information collected by pharmacists from outside caregivers (pharmacies and physicians) were studied. The time from patient arrival at the ED to initial intervention was also studied.

Methods: Written and oral medication histories of ED patients 65 years and older who were seen at an urban academic hospital between June 2003 and May 2004 were collected and represented information available at the time of initial diagnosis and treatment.

Alternate site surge capacity in times of public health disaster maintains trauma center and emergency department integrity: Hurricane Katrina.

Background: Hospital surge capacity has been advocated to accommodate large increases in demand for healthcare; however, existing urban trauma centers and emergency departments (TC/EDs) face barriers to providing timely care even at baseline patient volumes. The purpose of this study is to describe how alternate-site medical surge capacity absorbed large patient volumes while minimizing impact on routine TC/ED operations immediately after Hurricane Katrina.

Methods: From September 1 to 16, 2005, an alternate site for medical care was established.