RESUMEN
The weather-related disasters in 2017 in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the 2017-2018 wildfire seasons in California and Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018 have challenged all healthcare professionals, to have plans in place to protect their facility, patients, and staff from all possible hazards. These were "slowly developing" events, with enormous media coverage, and yet the results were still horrific. The need to have both a good evacuation plan and a good shelter-in-place plan has previously been dramatically demonstrated. When planning for disasters, it is critical for healthcare providers to understand the nature of a particular event and its possible consequences. When the concern arises about either an individual medical facility, or a whole community's well-being, a proper response requires significant levels of preparedness, education, and training. Comprehension of the threat and an understanding of the resources available to combat an event can significantly mitigate the possible damage. This article reviews a dental school curriculum to prepare students to respond to such contingencies while describing the goals, and sources for a disaster preparedness syllabus.
Asunto(s)
Odontólogos , Planificación en Desastres , Desastres , Curriculum , Humanos , TexasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: We surveyed the podiatric medicine professional and academic leadership concerning podiatric medicine professionals as disaster surge responders. METHODS: All US podiatric medical school deans and state society presidents were mailed a self-administered structured questionnaire. The leaders were asked to complete the questionnaire and return it by mail; two repeated mailings were made. Descriptive statistics were produced, and differences between deans and society presidents were tested by the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: The response rate was 100% for the deans and 53% for the society presidents. All of the respondents agreed that podiatric physicians have skills applicable to catastrophe response, are ethically obligated to help, and should receive additional training in catastrophe response. Deans and society presidents agreed with the statements that podiatric physicians should provide basic first aid and place sutures, obtain medical histories, and assist with maintaining infection control. With one exception, all of the society presidents and deans agreed that with additional training, podiatric physicians could interpret radiographs, start intravenous lines, conduct mass casualty triage, manage a point of distribution, prescribe medications, and provide counseling to the worried well. There was variability in responses across the sources for training. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that deliberations regarding academic competencies at the podiatric medical school level and continuing education should be conducted by the profession for a surge response role, including prevention, response, mitigation, and recovery activities. After coordination and integration with response agencies, podiatric medicine has a role in strengthening the nation's catastrophic event surge response.
Asunto(s)
Competencia Clínica/normas , Planificación en Desastres , Liderazgo , Podiatría , Estudios Transversales , Recolección de Datos , Humanos , Médicos , Facultades de Medicina , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Recursos HumanosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: A study was completed to assess the academic and state-level professional optometry leadership views regarding optometry professionals as surge responders in the event of a catastrophic event. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a 21-question, self-administered, structured questionnaire. All U.S. optometry school deans and state optometric association presidents were mailed a questionnaire and instructions to return it by mail on completion; 2 repeated mailings were made. Descriptive statistics were produced and differences between deans and association presidents were tested by Fisher exact test. RESULTS: The questionnaire response rate was 50% (25 returned/50 sent) for the state association presidents and 65% (11/17) for the deans. There were no statistically significant differences between the leadership groups for any survey questions. All agreed that optometrists have the skills, are ethically obligated to help, and that optometrists should receive additional training for participation in disaster response. There was general agreement that optometrists should provide first-aid, obtain medical histories, triage, maintain infection control, manage a point of distribution, prescribe medications, and counsel the "worried well." Starting intravenous lines, interpreting radiographs, and suturing were less favorably supported. There was some response variability between the 2 leadership groups regarding potential sources for training. CONCLUSIONS: The overall opinion of optometry professional leadership is that with additional training, optometrists can and should provide an important reserve pool of catastrophic event responders.
Asunto(s)
Planificación en Desastres/organización & administración , Desastres , Liderazgo , Optometría/educación , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Estudios Transversales , Humanos , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
The United States was awakened to the perils of bioterrorism in October 2001 with the news that letters laced with anthrax had been mailed to the media and select politicians. At that time, it became evident that a widescale attack using a bioweapon of mass destruction could rapidly overwhelm the health care system. Dentists could make a tremendous contribution to the response of such an attack by gaining an understanding of the bioweapons that could be used, as well as the symptoms of their diseases and therapies for treatment. This article gives a general overview of the biological agents that terrorists are most likely to use and provides the dentist with information about how to contribute to an effective response in the event of such an attack.
Asunto(s)
Bioterrorismo , Enfermedades Transmisibles/diagnóstico , Odontología , Planificación en Desastres , Brotes de Enfermedades/prevención & control , Enfermedades Transmisibles/clasificación , HumanosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Dental professionals with proper training and integration into existing protocols for mobilization can be one additional resource during catastrophic events. A pilot project on training of dental school faculty in telephone triage in the event of an avian flu pandemic is described. A partnership was established with a grant from the Department of Justice/Department of Homeland Security, between the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and New York University to initiate a pilot program to increase the manpower resources available to the health agency should an overwhelming public health event be present in the New York City area. METHODS: Eight faculties from New York University College of Dentistry were selected to receive telephone triage training consisting of 15 hours of formal presentations. This training was specifically designed to give participants a background in "outbreak investigations," and included a mock influenza outbreak. Also, a "phone triaging" training during a surge event was practiced. RESULTS: The training resulted in enabling alternative healthcare providers as capable personnel and one alternative source for a surge manpower pool. This was the innovative use of dental school faculty to bolster critically understaffed and overwhelmed areas in the NYCDOHMH infrastructure, such as call centers and for telephone triage, in their disaster scenarios, particularly in their response to avian flu. CONCLUSIONS: The established public health systems and medical community must understand the need to preplan for medical surge events and accept that a potential source of additional manpower could be the dental profession or other nontraditional healthcare personnel.
Asunto(s)
Personal de Odontología en Hospital/educación , Planificación en Desastres/métodos , Educación Continua en Odontología/métodos , Medicina de Emergencia/educación , Docentes de Odontología , Facultades de Odontología , Triaje , Humanos , Teléfono/estadística & datos numéricos , Estados Unidos , Recursos HumanosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Members of the established public health systems and medical community must understand that, in medical surge events, members of the dental profession and other non-traditional disaster health care personnel are an additional source of assistance in response activities. METHODS: The authors relied on hands-on experience, expert consultations, literature reviews and Web searches to identify disaster response training programs appropriate for members of the dental profession and other health care personnel. RESULTS: The authors identified multiple governmental and professional disaster training programs. CONCLUSIONS: Five key national-level programs address the training and organization of health care professionals to support a large-scale disaster program. Because of their training and skills, dental professionals would be valuable additions to these programs and could make significant contributions if natural disasters and/or terrorist events were to occur.
Asunto(s)
Auxiliares Dentales , Odontólogos , Medicina de Desastres/educación , Planificación en Desastres , Desastres , Servicios Médicos de Urgencia , Defensa Civil , Auxiliares Dentales/educación , Educación en Odontología , Medicina de Emergencia/educación , Humanos , Cuidados para Prolongación de la Vida , Trabajo de Rescate , Terrorismo , Estados Unidos , VoluntariosRESUMEN
Catastrophic preparedness should be incorporated into the dental school curriculum. The experience at New York University College of Dentistry is that a combination of catastrophic preparedness elements integrated within existing courses with a short, meaningful capstone course dedicated to all hazards preparedness can be accomplished successfully and meet proposed competencies for training in the dental curriculum. The roles and responsibilities in catastrophic response preparedness and response of dentists are actively being discussed by the dental profession. An element of that discussion has to include the "what" and "how" of education and training for dentists at the predoctoral level and after dental school graduation. The concepts presented in this article should be debated at all levels of the profession.
Asunto(s)
Defensa Civil/educación , Curriculum , Desastres , Educación en Odontología , Práctica Profesional , Facultades de Odontología , Competencia Clínica , Odontólogos , Medicina de Desastres/educación , Planificación en Desastres , Educación Continua en Odontología , Educación de Posgrado en Odontología , Docentes de Odontología , Humanos , New York , Rol Profesional , Práctica de Salud Pública , Estudiantes de Odontología , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
The response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, relied on local resources and personnel. Aware of how important their contribution could be, many people are now inspired to volunteer during times of crisis. The Medical Reserve Corps is a community-based volunteer network of health professionals that trains to respond to large-scale emergencies.
Asunto(s)
Defensa Civil , Odontólogos , Terrorismo , Servicios de Salud Comunitaria , Redes Comunitarias , Planificación en Desastres , Servicios Médicos de Urgencia , Humanos , New York , Estados Unidos , VoluntariosRESUMEN
This article describes an integrated fourth-year course in catastrophe preparedness for students at the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD). The curriculum is built around the competencies proposed in "Predoctoral Dental School Curriculum for Catastrophe Preparedness," published in the August 2004 Journal of Dental Education. We highlight our experience developing the program and offer suggestions to other dental schools considering adding bioterrorism studies to their curriculum.
Asunto(s)
Bioterrorismo , Curriculum , Planificación en Desastres , Medicina de Emergencia/educación , Facultades de Odontología , Humanos , New YorkRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Terrorist activities now can be added to the list of possible man-made and nature-induced health and safety disasters that can affect a community. There are two basic responses that people can choose to protect themselves during these events. One is to evacuate the area, the other is to shelter in place. CONCLUSIONS: The authors provide an overview of the issues, present basic principles and increase the awareness of the dental profession to the various responses available in an emergency. The key issue is that families, dental offices and communities should plan ahead. Dentists should be cognizant of their professional role and help educate the public in regard to emergency issues. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The uncertainties and stress of a potential terrorist attack can be mitigated somewhat by planning. These plans can be fairly basic, involving minimum equipment and supplies; however, they may go a long way to protect dental staff members, patients and families.
Asunto(s)
Consultorios Odontológicos , Planificación en Desastres , Terrorismo , Comunicación , Equipos y Suministros , Humanos , Administración de la SeguridadRESUMEN
Since September 11, 2001, government agencies on all levels have focused on planning and preparing to respond to another possible terrorist attack. In addition to emergency and medical issues, these agencies must be concerned about the public's behavior and psychological response when they plan the management of a bioterrorist event. We present readers with one such possible incident, a radiological bomb scenario, with the aim of educating dentists and communicating the risks involved.