Archive for the ‘Disasters’ Category
Articles of Note: November Edition
Time once again for a run down of some of the new and noteworthy articles in the current literature. All of these are from the October/November issues. As always, please keep in mind this in no way a comprehensive list; simply items that have caught my attention from a selection of peer-reviewed journals. Links lead to PubMed abstracts; from there you can choose what’s worth a.) paying for; b.) a pilgrimage to your nearest medical library; or c.) downloading via the full-text access you possibly have at your disposal. To be honest, it was kind of a light month; not nearly so much grabbed me in my rounds of the recent stuff.
Have You Heard Anything?
I don’t normally post personal issues here at FHO, but I am pretty worried about our friends and colleagues in American Samoa and the affected region. If you have news, could you please pass it along? And if you are so inclined, please consider donating to the Relief Fund for Sexual Assault Victims, established to collect donations that will aid affected sexual assault victims and advocacy programs in areas coping with disasters. You can read more about the Relief Fund and efforts to prevent sexual violence in disasters here.
Thanks.
Disaster Medicine Series
ReachMD, available online and at XM Satellite Radio, has a huge feature this month on disaster medicine. There are more than 60 podcasts, all from within the past year (and many from this month) linked on their page right now. You can download several at a time and listen to them while you’re plodding through administrative tasks, or select one, like Ethical Issues Arising in Natural Disasters, and host a staff discussion around it. There’s a lot that’s conversation-worthy.
Cultural Competency & Disaster Response
The Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Minority Health has a new curriculum available: Cultural Competency for Disaster Preparedness & Crisis Response. The curriculum consists of 4 courses that “are designed to equip disaster and crisis volunteers and personnel with the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to diverse communities during all phases of disaster. The curriculum is grounded in the Office of Minority Health’s CLAS Standards, which are grouped into three themes: Culturally Competent Care, Language Access Services, and Organizational Supports.”
Disaster Mental Health
I have had what could be benignly called a very long travel day (involving groundstops, flying through thunderstorms, airport power outages, and the like). It’s far later than I planned to be posting for today (actually yesterday now), so this is a short and simple one for those of you interested in traumatic stress and emotional trauma: from David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages, his comprehensive listing of online disaster mental health resources. I don’t normally just highlight a page of links as the sole content for a post, but this one is so exhaustive, I figured it’s a great resource to add to the arsenal.
Bioterrorism & Emerging Disease Preparedness
Rutgers College of Nursing has 8 online courses on bioterrorism and emerging disease preparedness. They all carry contact hours and range from $10-$70 depending on the number of hours you earn (looks like it’s roughly $10 per CE, give or take a few bucks).
Critical Incident Response in the Workplace
Crisis Care Network has an online training, Best Practices in Critical Incident Response in the Workplace. The course provides attendees with a video-enhanced overview of best practices in critical incident response services. This program summarizes the latest findings in evidence based behavioral medicine as it relates to psychological first aid, addresses the unique aspects of the provider’s role with the employer client and provides an overview of how to deliver critical incident response services in the workplace. This program covers:
Blast Injuries
RN.com has a 1 credit offering on blast injuries available for $5. It’s your standard article-posttest format. Objectives include:
1. Identify factors that affect blast injuries.
2. Describe the types of injuries that can occur from explosions.
3. Define the two major classifications of explosives.
4. Describe basic mechanisms of blast injuries.
5. Identify the types of injuries associated with blast mechanisms.
6. Identify disorders that might be missed during an initial assessment.
7. Identify management options for blast emergencies.
8. Describe plans to care for survivors of blast injuries.
PTSD & Traumatic Brain Injury
The University of Louisville Health Sciences Center has a free online course on PTSD & traumatic brain injury. Presented by Humana Military Healthcare Services, the course is meant to benefit “both civilian trauma patients and affected service members. Improved quality of care will reduce healthcare costs and morbidity related to these conditions. This course is designed for all physicians who provide care for civilian, veteran, and active duty military patients who have witnessed or have been exposed to serious trauma.”
Video Game as Learning Tool
It’s an interesting idea–using a computer game to provide education about genocide. That’s what mtvU has done with Darfur is Dying, “a narrative-based simulation where the user, from the standpoint of a displaced Darfurian, negotiates forces that threaten the survival of his or her refuge camp. It offers a faint glimpse of what it’s like for the more than 2.5 million who have been internally displaced by the crisis in Sudan.”
Articles of Note: April Edition
Photo credit: umjanedoan
Time once again for a run down of some of the new and noteworthy articles in the current literature. Most of these are from the April/May issues, although I have included a couple March publications that missed me on the 1st pass. As always, please keep in mind this in no way a comprehensive list; simply items that have caught my attention from a selection of peer-reviewed journals. All links lead to abstracts; from there you can choose what’s worth a.) paying for; b.) a pilgrimage to your nearest medical library; or c.) downloading via the full-text access you possibly have at your disposal.
Blast Injuries & Mass Casualties
Since I loaded you with posts yesterday (and according to my stats page A LOT of you are working your way through the cervical images today–wow, people), a nice bite-sized podcast to have with your morning latte. The CDC, always a reliable source for content, has a podcast on Blast Injuries: What Clinicians Need to Know. It clocks in at under 3 minutes–barely enough time to set the speed and incline on your treadmill. However, if this brief audio isn’t enough to satisfy your need for info on the subject…
Maternal Health in Emergency Situations
UNICEF/UN Radio produced a podcast on maternal health last fall, Delivering on the Front Lines: Maternal Health in Conflict, Post-Conflict and Emergency Situations. The podcast features a panel of experts who examine the impact war and other emergent situations have on pregnant women and new mothers. “During armed conflict, the well-being of women is threatened by physical, sexual and psychological abuse, and vital maternal care services are typically disrupted by the devastation of health infrastructure.” You can listen to the 23 minute podcast here.
Disaster Health Care
Audio Digest has free podcasts available on a range of disaster-related healthcare topics. You can download audio files on PTSD, principles for initial response, infectious disease, incident management and disaster mental health. Even better, they have kindly segmented the files, so you have the option of downloading just parts of the podcasts or the whole megillah.
International Forensic Investigation Course
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has a pretty incredible online course on international forensic investigation. What may be most unbelievable is that it is offered free of charge. Although it doesn’t appear that CEs are attached, don’t let that deter you–there is some seriously chewy content in this offering.
