The role of a medical illustration department during the Lanarkshire E. coli O157 outbreak.

Abstract

In November and December 1996 an outbreak occurred of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 gastro-enteritis, centred on the Lanarkshire town of Wishaw, in central Scotland. The majority of resultant admissions were received by a single local general hospital. Monklands Hospital, in Airdrie, is the site of the Lanarkshire Area Infectious Diseases (ID) Unit and over the period of the outbreak one hundred and thirteen cases were admitted. This placed considerable strain on the resources of the hospital; at one stage the hospital was closed to all but emergency admissions. The hospital Medical Illustration Department was involved in a supporting role to the clinical team dealing with the outbreak as well as assisting the hospital management team with other duties. This paper gives a brief history of the event and describes the range of duties undertaken by the department during the incident. It is hoped that it will raise awareness, within the medical illustration profession, of the role that Medical Illustration Departments can play in major medical incidents.