Emergency Medical Centers Preparedness for a Biological Disaster in Korea
Journal of the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine
; : 263-272, 2008.
Article
em Ko
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-102437
Biblioteca responsável:
WPRO
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate different emergency medical centers' (EMCs) preparedness for a biological disaster in Korea. METHODS: A survey of 120 EMCs in Korea was done through questionnaire. We examined facilities, equipments and supplies, and emergency personnel training and drill. RESULTS: Ninety (75%) EMCs participated in the survey. Sixteen were from regional/specialized EMCs and 74 were from local EMCs. The median for the number of staffed beds were 680(range, 200~2200) and the median for patient visits were 73(range, 24~210) per day. Ten(11%) of the 90 participating EMCs had personal protective equipments (PPEs); 7(8%) had wet decontamination units; 11(12%) had independent ventilation systems; 15(17%) had mechanical ventilator; 9(10%) had life lines; 39(43%) had alternative care sites and none (0%) had triage tag with presence of contamination. At least one drill was conducted annually in 11(12%). When the availability of resources needed in a biological disaster between regional/specialized EMCs and local EMCs were compared, the regional/specialized EMCs had PPEs(38% vs. 5%, p<0.01), wet decontamination unit(44% vs. 0%, p<0.01), independent ventilation systems (31% vs. 8%, p<0.05), and drills (38% vs. 7%, p<0.01) more frequently than local EMCs. Approximately 70% of the respondents attributed the above passive preparedness results from a lack of budget and the notion that only the minimum preparedness is necessary for the possibility of a biological disaster. Also, half of the respondents agreed that new infectious diseases will occur with a possibility of more than 50% in the future. CONCLUSION: Our data indicated that preparedness of EMCs for a biological disaster in Korea was low. Therefore, we should develop comprehensive plans to remedy the identified deficiencies.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
WPRIM
Assunto principal:
Ventilação
/
Guerra Biológica
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Orçamentos
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Descontaminação
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Doenças Transmissíveis
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Inquéritos e Questionários
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Triagem
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Defesa Civil
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Mandrillus
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Planejamento em Desastres
Tipo de estudo:
Health_economic_evaluation
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
Ko
Revista:
Journal of the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine
Ano de publicação:
2008
Tipo de documento:
Article