Wilderness & environmental medicine
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2014
Practice GuidelineWilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for spine immobilization in the austere environment: 2014 update.
In an effort to produce best practice guidelines for spine immobilization in the austere environment, the Wilderness Medical Society convened an expert panel charged with the development of evidence-based guidelines for management of the injured or potentially injured spine in an austere (dangerous or compromised) environment. Recommendations are made regarding several parameters related to spinal immobilization. ⋯ A treatment algorithm based on the guidelines is presented. This is an updated version of original WMS Practice Guidelines for Spine Immobilization in the Austere Environment published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2013;24(3):241-252.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2014
New Zealand land search and rescue operations: an analysis of medical and traumatic conditions.
The aim of this study was to describe the range and types of medical and traumatic conditions encountered in land search and rescue operations in New Zealand. ⋯ Search and rescue personnel are exposed to a broad range of medical and traumatic conditions. In New Zealand, they include preexisting cognitive impairment that results in persons lost in urban environments. Notwithstanding this, many subjects will also need to be managed in remote, resource-limited environments for extended periods. First aid training and field equipment should reflect these demands.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2014
Practice GuidelineWilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for the treatment of acute pain in remote environments: 2014 update.
The Wilderness Medical Society convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based guidelines for the management of pain in austere environments. Recommendations are graded on the basis of the quality of supporting evidence as defined by criteria put forth by the American College of Chest Physicians. This is an updated version of the original WMS Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Pain in Remote Environments published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2014;25(1):41-49.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2014
Practice GuidelineWilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for the out-of-hospital evaluation and treatment of accidental hypothermia: 2014 update.
To provide guidance to clinicians, the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based guidelines for the out-of-hospital evaluation and treatment of victims of accidental hypothermia. The guidelines present the main diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and provide recommendations for the management of hypothermic patients. ⋯ The guidelines also provide suggested general approaches to the evaluation and treatment of accidental hypothermia that incorporate specific recommendations. This is an updated version of the original Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for the Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2014;25(4):425-445.
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Wilderness Environ Med · Dec 2014
Medical student electives in wilderness medicine: curriculum guidelines.
Wilderness medicine has been a part of medical student education for many years and is becoming more popular. To help standardize and improve the student experience, we surveyed current elective directors to gain an understanding of what experts in the field thought were priority elements in a wilderness medicine elective. Although there is a diversity of opinion among leaders in the field, there are multiple topics on which there is concordance on inclusion or exclusion.