• Title/Summary/Keyword: Disaster Medicine

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Optimal examination for traumatic nerve/muscle injuries in earthquake survivors: a retrospective observational study

  • Berkay Yalcinkaya;Busranur Tuten Sag;Mahmud Fazil Aksakal;Pelin Analay;Hasan Ocak;Murat Kara;Bayram Kaymak;Levent Ozcakar
    • Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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    • v.41 no.2
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    • pp.120-127
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    • 2024
  • Background: Physiatrists are facing with survivors from disasters in both the acute and chronic phases of muscle and nerve injuries. Similar to many other clinical conditions, neuromusculoskeletal ultrasound can play a key role in the management of such cases (with various muscle/nerve injuries) as well. Accordingly, in this article, a recent single-center experience after the Turkey-Syria earthquake will be rendered. Methods: Ultrasound examinations were performed for various nerve/muscle lesions in 52 earthquake victims referred from different cities. Demographic features, type of injuries, and applied treatment procedures as well as detailed ultrasonographic findings are illustrated. Results: Of the 52 patients, 19 had incomplete peripheral nerve lesions of the brachial plexus (n=4), lumbosacral plexus (n=1), and upper and lower limbs (n=14). Conclusion: The ultrasonographic approach during disaster relief is paramount as regards subacute and chronic phases of rehabilitation. Considering technological advances (e.g., portable machines), the use of on-site ultrasound examination in the (very) early phases of disaster response also needs to be on the agenda of medical personnel.

Disaster Health Literacy of Middle-aged Women

  • Seifi, Bahar;Ghanizadeh, Ghader;Seyedin, Hesam
    • Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.150-154
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    • 2018
  • As disasters have been increasing in recent years, disaster health literacy is gaining more important for a population such as middle-age women. This is because they face developmental crises (menopause) and situational crisis (disaster). Due to the growing elderly population, it is imperative to seriously consider the issue of aging women's healthcare, and their educational needs relative to emergencies and disasters. The purpose of study was to clarify the importance of disaster health literacy for middle-age women. This study is a review of the literature using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, OVID, ProQuest, Springer, and Wiley. Data was collected with keywords related to the research topic ("Women's health" OR "Geriatric health") AND ("Health literacy" OR "Disaster health literacy" OR "Disaster prevention literacy" OR "Risk knowledge" OR "Knowledge management") AND ("Disasters" OR "Risk" OR "Crises") in combination with the Boolean-operators OR and AND. We reviewed full text English-language articles published November 2011 November 2017. Additional references were identified from reference lists in targeted publications, review articles and books. This review demonstrated that disaster health literacy is critical for elderly women, because they may suffer from physical and psychological problems triggered by developmental crises such as menopause and situational crises such as disasters. Disaster literacy could enable them to improve resiliency and reduce disaster risk. Education has vital role in health promotion of middle-age women. Policymakers and health managers should be aware of the challenges of elderly women as a vulnerable group in disasters and develop plans to incorporate disaster health literacy for preparedness and prevention in educating this group.

The Effects of Life Changes on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after Disasters (재난 후 생활변화가 외상 후 스트레스 장애에 미치는 영향)

  • Lim, Hye Sun;Sim, Kyungok
    • Stress
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.319-326
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    • 2018
  • Background: This study investigated whether pre- and peri-disaster experiences influence on PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and whether post-disaster stress by life changes have impact on PTSD after controlling pre- and peri-disaster factors. Methods: Data came from a sample of 1,182 respondents who experienced natural disasters (flood and typhoon) in South Korea from 2012 to 2015. The SPSS Win 22.0 program was used for descriptive analysis, t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson's correlation and logistic regression analysis. Results: The results indicated that 24.3% of the disaster victims were in PTSD risk group. Compared with non-PTSD, PTSD risk group showed lower interpersonal trust and satisfaction, higher depression and anxiety, and lower subjective well-being. The results of hierarchical logistc regression revealed that all pre-, peri-, and post-disaster factors increased the probability of developing PTSD, except for relocation of residence. Moreover, a primary post-disaster predictor of PTSD was economic distress after controlling for pre- and peri-disaster. Conclusions: This study tested relative contributions of post-disaster factors on PTSD.

Assessment Tools for the Mental Health of School-Aged Children and Adolescents Exposed to Disaster: A Systematic Review (1988-2015)

  • Lee, Mi-Sun;Bhang, Soo-Young
    • Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.88-100
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    • 2018
  • Objectives: In this study, we aimed to conduct a systematic review of studies investigating psychosocial factors affecting children exposed to disasters. Methods: In total, 140 studies were retrieved. The studies were published from 1988 to 2015. A systematic review was performed using the PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched. Each database was searched using the following terms: 'Child,' 'Adolescent,' 'Youth,' 'Disaster,' 'Posttraumatic,' 'Psychosocial,' 'Assessment,' 'Evaluation,' and 'Screening.' The identified studies were subjected to data extraction and appraisal. Results: The database search identified 713 articles. Based on the titles and abstracts, the full texts of 118 articles were obtained. The findings of this review can be used as a basis for the design of a psychosocial evaluation tool for disaster preparedness. Conclusion: Given the paramount importance of post-disaster evaluation and the weaknesses of current disaster evaluation tools, the need to develop valid and reliable tools and psychometric evaluations cannot be overstated. Our findings provide current evidence supporting various assessments in children, who are very vulnerable psychologically following disasters.

A Study on the Computer Assisted Dental Identification in Mass Disaster (대형참사시 컴퓨터를 이용한 법의치과학적 개인식별)

  • Shin, Kyoung-Jin;Choi, Jong-Hoon;Yoon, Chang-Lyuk;Kim, Chong-Youl
    • Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.81-94
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    • 1999
  • This study intends to find usefulness of the computer assisted dental identification in mass disaster. The variety of dental characteristics was investigated through the research of dental records of 508 adults. And a computer assisted simulation program was used to evaluate the selectivity of dental identification. Findings were as follows : 1. Combinations of dental characteristics were found 155 types. The most various dental characteristic was showed on the mandibular first molar. 99.0% of subjects had dental characteristics for dental identification. 2. The posterior teeth, in comparison with anterior teeth, showed higher selectivity in dental identification which was enhanced by information on the material, type and cavity of the restoration. 3. The variety of dental characteristics was mainly found on the combinations of missing tooth with the material, type and cavity of the restoration. 4. The computer assisted dental identification program, with informa- tion about one's tooth state, made individual identification possible when there was only a part of the teeth in a corpse. 5. The computer assisted dental identification had considerably high selectivity based on the variety of dental characteristics. And it was also performed faster and preciser than the existing identification methods. Based on the results of this study, there are various combinations of the feature of the tooth itself with dental characteristics caused by a certain type of treatment on the teeth. And using the computer assisted dental identification program based on this, dental identification can be more efficient economically and more useful than any other forensic identification methods.

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A Study on the Statistical Analysis of Fire Patterns in Gangwon Province (통계적 방법을 이용한 강원지역의 화재유형분석에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Hae-Rim;Sin, Jae-Wook;Park, Young-Ju;Lee, Hae-Pyeong;Moon, Kyong-Ae
    • Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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    • 2010.04a
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    • pp.419-423
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    • 2010
  • 본 연구에서는 체계적이고 효율적인 화재관리 시스템을 구축하기에 앞서 화재의 유형을 분석하고자 강원지역을 대상으로 통계적 분석방법을 활용하였다. SPSS와 Clementine 프로그램을 이용하여 소방방재청 국가화재정보시스템의 2007년과 2008년 화재발생 자료를 대상으로 빈도분석 및 교차분석과 같은 기초통계분석을 비롯하여 의사결정트리 분석 등을 수행하였다. 결과를 살펴보면, 강원지역의 화재건수는 2006년부터 2009년까지 증가추세를 보이고 있으며, 화재유형은 50% 정도가 건축/구조물에 의한 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 화재원인으로는 부주의가 가장 높았으며, 작동기기가 발생건수가 가장 높은 발화열원인 것으로 확인되었다.

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DISASTER PSYCHIATRY IN CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS (소아 ${\cdot}$ 청소년의 재해정신의학)

  • Lee, So-Young Irene
    • Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.38-46
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    • 2002
  • Disaster psychiatry is a new emerging area of psychiatry, in which psychiatrists help to minimize psychological impact of a disaster and to reduce secondary morbidities. In our society, more children and adolescents are facing disasters nowadays. Thus, the necessity for the disaster psychiatry is increasing. After a trauma, children express various symptoms in relevance to their age, development, and their environmental support. The recovery from the disaster and its long-term effect are also influenced by those factors. Psychiatric intervention in a disaster consists mainly of crises intervention and supportive psychotherapy, which includes counseling the victims, educating and providing information to the public, providing support and consultation to the community, and referring of at-risk or severely impaired individuals for more intensive clinical evaluation and care. In addition to a summarized concept of disaster psychiatry, this article presents the adverse psychological effects of children and adolescents exposed to disaster and issues related to the psychiatric intervention.

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The Use of Human Resource and Emergency Service of Elderly Affected by Flood Disaster (수해경험 노인의 인적자원과 서비스 활용에 관한 연구)

  • Chung, Soon-Dool;Kim, Go-Eun;Park, Ji-Young
    • 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2008.02a
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    • pp.143-146
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    • 2008
  • This study aimed to suggest the way to support flood disaster older survivors with analysing how relief services and their human resources are used. For this study, the data was collected from 184 elderly aged over 65 years from Inje and Pyungchang in Gangwon province where lots of flood damages were done. The results of the study was elderly used human resources of public servant/military soldiers, volunteers as public or official services than as private resources. These results provide the evidence that public or official human resources are very helpful to control their emergency situations because there is hardly any use of their private human resources except for assistance from their family. And it shows that older people are willing to use services of life rescue and information services of their family members safety rather than basic supplies, medical care or medicine providing. With this findings we suggest informing the news of family safety including basic necessaries are highly signigicant. Thus, it is useful for disaster planners to understand building immediate life rescue and accurate information delivery systems. These are relevant to older adults' psychological well-being, thus, providing news of family safety including offering material resources are highly needed for older disaster survivors.

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Efficacy and Usability of Patient Isolation Transport Module for CBRN Disaster : A Manikin Simulation Study (특수재난 대응 환자 격리 이송 장비의 효율성 및 편의성 평가: 마네킹시뮬레이션 연구)

  • Kim, Ki-Hong;Hong, Ki-Jeong;Haam, Seung-Hee;Choi, Jin-Woo
    • Fire Science and Engineering
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    • v.32 no.3
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    • pp.116-122
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    • 2018
  • In Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) disaster, integrated and optimized equipment package including stretcher, isolation unit, patient monitoring and treatment equipment is essential to achieve proper treatment and prevent secondary contamination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and ease of use of integrated CBRN disaster equipment package for disaster medical response. This study was a randomized crossover study using a manikin simulation for emergency medical technitian (EMT). All participants used the existing devices and prototype of integrated CBRN disaster equipment package alternately. Efficiency was measured by time from vital sign change to detection or treatment application. Ease was use was measured by questionnaires for each patient monitor, stretcher care and isolation unit. 12 EMTs were enrolled. hypoxia-detection time of integrated equipment group was significantly shorter than existing equipment group (4.9 s (3.8-3.9) vs 3.5 s (2.5-3.9), p < 0.05). There was decreasing tendency of ECG change detection and facial mask oxygen supply but no statistical significance was observed. Overall satisfaction of patient monitoring device in integrated equipment group was significantly higher than existing devices (4(3.5-5) vs 3(3-3), p < 0.05). The use of integrated CBRN disaster equipment package shortened the hypoxia detection time and improved usability of vital sign monitor compared to existing devices.