The latest medical research on Disaster Medicine

The research magnet gathers the latest research from around the web, based on your specialty area. Below you will find a sample of some of the most recent articles from reputable medical journals about disaster medicine gathered by our medical AI research bot.

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Identification of Factors Associated with Both Frequency and Severity of Deer-Related Motorcycle Crashes.

Wilderness and Environmental Medicine

Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to injury when encountering large animals such as deer in the roadway. The frequency of these events, factors associated with their occurrence, and the extent of injuries sustained from such crashes are not yet well described.

A review of 10 years (2012-2021) of statewide motorcycle crash reports from a single state with a large deer population was performed to ascertain the frequency of deer-associated motorcycle crashes. Environmental and roadway conditions, as well as motorcyclist age, gender, and helmet usage, were identified to determine if associations exist with the severity of injuries sustained.

Statewide, 8.5% of reported motorcycle crashes involved deer. Excluding the two most densely populated counties, this rose to 10.7%, with 24.1% of crashes occurring during non-daylight hours being deer related. Factors associated with increased frequency of more severe injury and death included not wearing a helmet, female gender, and rural county crash location. Death and severe injuries were reported in more than twice as many riders who were unhelmeted compared to those wearing helmets (36.1 vs 16.6%; p < 0.01).

In a single midwestern state, deer represent a significant danger to motorcyclists, especially in rural settings during non-daylight hours. A cautious approach to riding during this time, utilizing available safety precautions to minimize risk of severe injury and death, and further exploration of viable interventions to reduce the likelihood of these occurrences should be considered.

Midwifery Experiences During Two Major Earthquakes in Türkiye: Challenges and Lessons Learned - A Qualitative Study.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health

This study aims to identify midwives' post-earthquake caregiving experiences.

A phenomenological study was undertaken in May-June 2023. The participants of the study consisted of 15midwives who were included in the study with the purposeful sampling method and volunteered to provide care during the earthquake. Data were collected by an in-depth interview method using a demographic information form and a semi-structured interview form. Thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts.

The research identified 2main themes: difficulties in managing midwifery care and the psychological impact of the earthquake on midwives. Challenges included issues with disaster organization, management, and coordination; communication gaps; insufficient medical supplies; harsh environmental conditions; inability to fulfill basic needs; lack of disaster-related knowledge and experience among midwives; and the overall survival conditions of disaster victims. The disaster caused several psychological effects on midwives, including shock, surprise, sadness, confusion, feelings of inadequacy, insomnia upon returning from the disaster area, nightmares, difficulty adapting, guilt about returning, feelings of helplessness, and experiences of loss and mourning.

This study detailed midwives' experiences during disasters, difficulties, and barriers to effective care. It is crucial to record midwives' experiences during disasters and use this information and solutions to prepare for future disasters. Disaster preparedness training for midwives should be planned to increase physical and emotional resilience.

The Effect of Disaster Preparedness Literacy on Individual Disaster Resilience.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health

This study aimed to examine the effect of disaster preparedness literacy on individual disaster resilience and related factors. The universe of the...

The Pathophysiology of Injuries and Deaths Managed in Emergency Departments After Earthquake Disasters: A Narrative Review.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health

Earthquakes cause devastating effects, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people each year. Understanding the full range of impacts, including...

Evaluation of Nurses' Competency, Motivation, and Stress Levels in Disaster Management.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health

This study was conducted to determine the relationships between nurses' competency, motivation, and stress levels in disaster management, as well as to shed light on the establishment of effective disaster management programs.

In our research we used a correlational, descriptive, cross-sectional design. The sample of the study was composed of 498 nurses working in Turkey. The "Descriptive and Professional Characteristics and Disaster Experiences of Nurses" form, the "Competencies for Disaster Nursing Management Questionnaire," the "Perceived Stress Scale," and the "Nurses Job Motivation Scale" were used in data collection.

Nurses' disaster management competency and motivation levels were found to be adequate, and their stress levels were found to be moderate. A weak positive correlation was found between disaster management competency and motivation, but a weak negative correlation was found between stress levels. Age, education level, experience level, training in disaster nursing, and knowledge of duties and responsibilities in disasters were associated with significant differences in terms of disaster competency and its dimensions, motivation, and stress levels.

The study found that nurses' disaster experiences impacted their competency, feeling of preparedness, and stress and motivation levels, and motivation was found to be a predictor of increasing competency.

Sanitary-Hygienic Research to Ensure State Sanitary-Epidemiological Surveillance in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health

There are numerous factors that impact human health. Sanitary and hygienic conditions in the workplace and living environments, the state of the environment, and nutrition levels play a significant role in determining environmental quality. An integral part is also the organization of effective treatment and preventive health care services for the population. The purpose of this study is to analyze the sanitary and hygienic situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The methodological framework employed general theoretical methods, statistical analysis, and techniques for systematizing information.

During the study, it was determined that in several cities, high levels of respiratory and skin morbidity are recorded, linked to elevated concentrations of dust, ammonia, hydrogen fluoride, and nitrogen dioxide. As a consequence of chemical contamination of drinking water sources, there is an escalation in the incidence of nephritis and hepatitis, an upsurge in the number of toxicosis cases among pregnant women, and congenital anomalies. The sanitary condition of settlements greatly impacts the development of satisfactory living conditions.

Therefore, this research holds significant practical relevance, and the findings can be utilized by specialists in relevant fields to analyze and address the identified problems, as safeguarding public health, development, and improvement of its protection system is currently becoming one of the paramount tasks.

The Role of Health Care and Health Security in War, Disaster & Crisis Preparedness.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health

Health care and health security are the fundamental pillars of disaster preparedness and crisis management. An established routine health care is n...

Phenomenological Analysis of Factors that Affect the Increase in the Willingness to Reengage Volunteer Rescuers and Saviors of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Disaster Prevention & Management

The present study aimed to analyze the factors that influence the increase in the desire to re-engage volunteer rescuers and saviors of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study involved the participation of volunteers who had not volunteered in the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) for at least one year but expressed a willingness to be re-engaged. The semi-structured in-depth interview process and data collection continued until the theoretical saturation stage was reached. The collected data was analyzed using the interpretive approach and the 7-step Claesian method.

The results show that several factors influence the increase in the desire to reengage volunteer rescuers and members of IRCS. These factors were categorized into 136 codes, 63 main codes, 20 clusters, 7 classes, and 3 themes, namely "organizational support and understanding," "work characteristics," and "organizational credibility." The results of the study indicate that each of the identified factors plays a significant role in the dynamics of the re-engagement process for rescuers and volunteer rescuers within the IRCS.

The experiences of volunteer rescuers and members can be utilized to enhance the recruitment and retention of volunteer human resources within the IRCS.

A Brief Report of Response Team Members' Perspectives on an Interteam Full-Scale Mass Casualty Incident Exercise in Norway.

Disaster Prevention & Management

A mass casualty incident (MCI) is unpredictable and involves many casualties at the same time and place. This brief report will present the results from an evaluation a full-scale MCI exercise, aiming to increase preparedness for such events, from the perspectives of future health-care professionals, as well as personnel in various emergency teams taking part in MCI response.

All participants in a 2-day, full-scale MCI exercise (N = 206) were invited to participate in an investigator-developed survey.

In total, 124 participants (60.2%) responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents were satisfied with the information and frames of the full-scale MCI exercise. Based on their experiences, over half of the respondents perceived that the county ambulance, police, and fire departments were well prepared in case of an MCI in the future. Reported areas of improvement were specifically related to communication lines and triage.

Weakness in communication lines and triage were assumed a threat to effective handling of MCIs. However, further studies are needed to decide the content needed in MCI exercises to effectively increase regional preparedness for such events.

Factors Associated with Behavioral Health Outcomes in Veterinarians Involved in Disaster Responses.

Disaster Prevention & Management

The objective of this study was to determine what factors are associated with behavioral health in veterinary disaster responders.

An online cross-sectional survey was distributed via snowball sampling. Results were analyzed using chi-square analyses.

Responses from 237 veterinarians were analyzed. Being involved in more than 1 disaster event was associated with higher anxiety and/or depression (43.4% vs 28.6%, respectively), difficulty with relationships (28.1% vs 14.3%, respectively), and a greater prevalence of sleep problems (44.6% vs 28.0%, respectively) compared to only being involved in 1 event. Veterinarians that were deployed longer than 2 months had the highest prevalence of anxiety and/or depression (43.9%) and sleep problems (50.0%). Veterinarians that received behavioral health training before deployment had lower rates of anxiety and/or depression (27.8% vs 42.9%, respectively) compared to those who did not receive training. Respondents involved with depopulation had the highest rates of anxiety and/or depression (66.7%) and sleep problems (58.1%).

Factors associated with behavioral health outcomes included the number and length of deployments, receiving behavioral health training, and being involved in depopulation. To reduce the risk of behavioral health outcomes, interventions such as time-off and behavioral health support are needed.

Painful Call About the Under-Reporting of Children's Pain During Humanitarian Crises.

Disaster Prevention & Management

Humanitarian crises often require urgent medical care to people of concern. Such medical aid includes assessing and treating acute medical needs an...

A Pilot Study in the Use of the Delphi Method to Document Conference Proceedings: Comparison of the Rate of Consensus Among Attending and Nonattending Participants.

Disaster Prevention & Management

While many medical practitioners value the interactive nature of in-person conferences, results of these interactions are often poorly documented. The objective of this study was to pilot the Delphi method for developing consensus following a national conference and to compare the results between experts who did and did not attend.

A 3-round Delphi included experts attending the 2023 Society of Disaster Medicine and Health Preparedness Annual Meeting and experts who were members of the society but did not attend. Conference speakers provided statements related to their presentations. Experts rated the statements on a 1-7 scale for agreement using STAT59 software (STAT59 Services Ltd, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). Consensus was defined as a standard deviation of ≤ 1.0.

Seventy-five statements were rated by 27 experts who attended and 10 who did not: 2634 ratings in total. There was no difference in the number of statements reaching consensus in the attending group (26/75) versus that of the nonattending group (27/75) (P = 0.89). However, which statements reached consensus differed between the groups.

The Delphi method is a viable method to document consensus from a conference. Advantages include the ability to involve large groups of experts, statistical measurement of the degree of consensus, and prioritization of the results.