Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Nov 2020
Beirut Ammonium Nitrate Explosion: A Man-Made Disaster in Times of COVID19 Pandemic.
The largest non-nuclear blast in modern history took place on August 4, 2020, at 6:07 PM in Beirut, Lebanon, after an estimated 2750 tons of unsafely stored ammonium nitrate exploded. The physical and social impacts of this catastrophic event coinciding with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic were massive. This article describes the national and international emergency responses to this event and highlights the impact of the explosion on the health care sector in Lebanon. Challenges noted during this response with recommendations for improving response to future disasters are also described.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Nov 2020
A Swift and Dynamic Strategy to Expand Emergency Department Capacity for COVID-19.
Emergency departments (EDs) worldwide struggled to prepare for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient surge and to simultaneously preserve sufficient capacity for "regular" emergency care. While many hospitals used costly shelter facilities, it was decided to merge the acute medical unit (AMU) and the ED. ⋯ This report details on the technical execution and discusses the pearls and potential pitfalls of this expansion strategy. Although ED preparedness for pandemics may be determined by local factors, such as hospital size, ED census, and primary health-care efficacy, the conjoined AMU-ED strategy may be a potential model for other EDs.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Oct 2020
COVID-19 Result Follow-up Process in the Pediatric Emergency Department Setting.
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upended the world. As emergency departments and hospitals across the nation and world braced themselves for the surge of this new disease, the emergency department (ED) at Children's National Hospital (CNH) quickly created a process to address surges in patient visits and follow-ups for coronavirus testing. ⋯ With over 1900 patients discharged pending their COVID-19 results, the program is successful. We anticipate expansion into antibody testing and notification as the pandemic progresses.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Oct 2020
The Role of Israel's Emergency Medical Services During a Pandemic in the Pre-Exposure Period.
The scientific literature on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is extensive, but little is written about the role of emergency medical services (EMS). The objective of this study is to describe the role of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national emergency prehospital medical organization, in the pre-exposure period, before widespread governmental action. These efforts were based on (1) phone diagnosis, dispatch, and transport; and (2) border management checkpoints. ⋯ EMS can work effectively in the pre-exposure period through instructing home quarantine, providing protected transport, and staffing border control checkpoints.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Oct 2020
Physician Workforce Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic at an Academic Medical Center.
The aim of this study was to describe the planning, implementation, and outcome of an acute care physician supplemental workforce during the local coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge at a 771-bed academic medical center, from March 25 to May 5, 2020, in New Jersey, United States. ⋯ Successful physician workforce staffing for medical disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, requires consideration of personal risk, as well as medicolegal, financial, and clinical competency issues.