OBJECTIVES To evaluate the capability of accident and emergency (A&E) departments in six health regions of England to safely decontaminate casualties exposed to hazardous chemicals. METHODS In January 1999 a postal questionnaire was sent to the clinical director of all A&E departments in Trent, North and South Thames, South and West, North West and, Anglia and Oxford Health Regions. The quest...

This practice note presents findings from a statewide survey of domestic violence and sexual assault agency directors (n = 80; 77% response rate), regarding their opinions about the outcome information that should be collected from victims during evaluations of five commonly provided services: legal advocacy, medical advocacy, group services, individual counseling, and shelter. The findings sho...

the main aim in this study was to collect the experiences of iranian researchers about sulfur mustard (sm) and provide a guideline for the prevention of abuse for this dangerous agent. we searched valid national and international databases using related key words in the two languages. we found 193 articles which had been published in medical journals. among them, 25 articles had some implicatio...

BACKGROUND Hospitals distant from the immediate site of an incident involving a hazardous materials (HAZMATs) release which could include chemical warfare agents, must develop emergency response plans (ERPs) to protect healthcare professionals if they receive potentially contaminated victims. The ERP must address OSHA, EPA, and JCAHO requirements. METHODS The VHA convened groups to develop a ...

In today's world the increased potential of terrorist attacks places unique burdens and consequences on health care workers. Hospitals and hospital personnel must now be prepared to react immediately to such events. They must also implement, in advance, policies to protect their own health care personnel while providing care to victims. In this review, we discuss the four major forms of mass ca...

An accident or a deliberate terrorism attack releasing hazardous chemicals will create chaos, confusion, and seeming unpredictability that complicates the emergency response. Clinicians are challenged to urgently treat patients needing care, even before a chemical is confirmed. Emergency response planning that focuses on preparing for predictable challenges to the health care system and applies...

We describe a collaborative effort between the U.S., India, and Poland to track acute chemical releases during 2005-2007. In all three countries, fixed facility events were more common than transportation-related events; manufacturing and transportation/warehousing were the most frequently involved industries; and equipment failure and human error were the primary contributing factors. The most...

Chemical warfare agents are toxic weapons and emergency prehospital medical care providers should be well prepared, trained, and equipped to give response. Personnel need to be aware of the following medical issues regarding prehospital management of a chemical attack, event recognition, incident medical command and control, safety and protection, decontamination, isolation of the incident area...

Chemical warfare agents are toxic weapons and emergency prehospital medical care providers should be well prepared, trained, and equipped to give response. Personnel need to be aware of the following medical issues regarding prehospital management of a chemical attack, event recognition, incident medical command and control, safety and protection, decontamination, isolation of the incident area...