Campus Emergency Research Articles

P046: Students as first responders: A survey of Canadian campus emergency medical response teams

Introduction: Canadian post-secondary campuses are densely-populated communities and the first home-away-from-home to many students participating in various academic programs, new social activities, and on-campus athletic activities. The diversity of on-campus activities combined with the high-stress of academic programs results in illness and injury rates that may increase the strain on emergency medical systems. Existing on some campuses for more than 30 years, campus emergency medical response teams (CEMRTs) address the need for a local emergency medical service that can provide first-aid in low-acuity situations and rapid response to high-acuity emergencies. In Canada, many student-run volunteer-responder CEMRTs exist but the range of their service capabilities, operations, and their call-volumes have not been described previously. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap. Methods: We surveyed the 30 known campus emergency medical response teams identified through membership in the Canadian Association of Campus Emergency Response Teams. The 32-question survey asked information on their level of training (standard first aid [SFA], first responder [FR], emergency medical responder [EMR]), service operations including call volume, and funding model. This study was approved by the Western University Institutional Review Board. Results: Twenty-four teams completed the survey (80%); the majority of which are located in Ontario (70%, 16 teams). One team reported that they are no longer in operation. Eleven teams (48%) have medical directors. Nine teams (39%) reported responding to ≤100 calls/year, 11 teams (48%) reported 100-500 calls/year, and 3 teams (13%) reported >500 calls/year. Responders of two teams (9%) maintain training at SFA level; 14 teams (61%) have some or all responders with FR training; and 6 teams (26%) have some or all members certified at EMR level. Twenty-one teams (91%) are equipped with AEDs and 19 teams (83%) are equipped with oxygen. Common medications carried include epinephrine (13 teams, 57%), naloxone (12 teams, 52%), and acetylsalicylic acid (9 teams, 39%). Conclusion: Canadian post-secondary campuses have highly-active student-run volunteer CMERTs. Considerable variability in the services provided may reflect the unique needs of the campuses they serve. CEMRTs may reduce low-acuity case demand on local emergency medical response and emergency department services in some communities; their impact on system demand and costs is the subject of future work.

Campus emergency notification systems: Lessons learned from a miscommunication

Campus emergency notification systems: Lessons learned from a miscommunication

Impact of a University Alcohol Policy Change on Bystander Responses to Alcohol-Related Medical Emergencies

Two studies evaluated the implementation of a stricter campus underage drinking policy on service utilization and bystander helping behaviors for alcohol-related medical emergencies. A program evaluation (Study 1) examined campus emergency medical service logs assessing changes in call volume and service utilization, finding a 30% reduction in call volume postpolicy change. Study 2 provided a qualitative data summarizing campus first responder ( N = 35) accounts of off-duty alcohol-related emergency calls. Off-duty calls increased postpolicy change and thematic analyses indicated they were (a) motivated by fear of campus sanctions, (b) often yielded delays or failures to contact campus emergency staff, and (c) resulted from student misunderstandings of policy implications for bystander helpers. Findings highlight potential challenges in executing environmental strategies to reduce college drinking.

An evaluation of a college campus emergency preparedness intervention

IntroductionGiven the range of emergencies that beset postsecondary institutions, university administrators must take a multimodal approach to prepare campus stakeholders for safety threats. One such strategy is emergency preparedness communication. MethodsIn the present investigation, we tested the efficacy of a professionally produced video that uses the federally endorsed slogan, Run-Hide-Fight(r). Undergraduate students participated in a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest control group design. ResultsUsing the theory of planned behavior as our guiding framework, we found that video exposure increased attitudes, perceived norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, as well as knowledge of recommended behavioral responses. Favorable attitudes and injunctive norms positively predicted intentions at the initial and delayed posttests. Importantly, the video's effects on most of the outcomes endured two weeks after video exposure. ConclusionsA brief emergency preparedness video using the Run-Hide-Fight(r) theme can have immediate and lingering effects on psychosocial predictors of appropriate emergency response behaviors. Practical ApplicationsAdministrators at higher education institutions should consider showing emergency preparedness messages to increase the likelihood that stakeholders will take appropriate action in case of a campus threat. In particular, these messages should aim to promote favorable attitudes toward appropriate response behaviors and instill beliefs that appropriate responses ought to be performed.

Analysis of Origins of Admission for Solid Tumor Oncology Inpatients: Disease Severity and Outcomes.

Hospital transfers may affect clinical outcomes. Evaluation of admission by source of transfer, time of admission, and provider type may identify opportunities to improve inpatient outcomes. We reviewed charts of patients admitted to the solid tumor oncology service between July and December 2014 from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) Main Campus emergency department (ED), CCF Regional EDs, outside hospital (OSH) ED, OSH inpatient services, and CCF outpatient clinics. Data collected included time of admission, mortality and severity risk scores, and provider type. Risk factors were assessed for clinical outcomes, including activations of the Adult Medical Emergency Team, intensive care unit transfers, in-hospital mortality, and length of stay (LOS). Five hundred admissions were included. OSH inpatient transfers had significantly higher disease severity compared with all other origins of admission. OSH inpatient transfers demonstrated significantly longer LOS compared with all other origins of admission, and higher mortality rates compared with the outpatient direct admits and CCF Main Campus ED admits. After adjusting for disease severity and risk of mortality, OSH ED patients remained at higher risk for Adult Medical Emergency Team activation, OSH inpatient transfers had the longest LOS, and CCF Main Campus ED patients had the lowest risk of mortality. Time of admission and provider type were not associated with any of the outcomes. Oncology inpatients transferred from an outside health care facility are at higher risk for adverse outcomes. The magnitude of difference is lessened, but still significant, after adjustment for disease severity and risk of mortality.

The effective use of communication tools during a long-term campus emergency

This article examines the experience of the campus community at Kean University in Union, NJ before, during, and after the landfall of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Like any university during an emergency situation, the campus utilized traditional and social media outlets and its campus alert system to convey information about the status of campus, classes, and other related issues. The makeup and structure of Kean and of Sandy’s effects on the region presented issues related to these communication efforts as students, faculty, and staff faced their own personal difficulties that potentially hindered their ability to receive this information. The article presents results from a campus-wide survey that generally shows satisfaction with the effort made by campus leadership when communicating, but does outline the limitations of relying on social media outlets (such as Twitter and Facebook), campus alert systems, and campus Web pages for transmitting this information during a time when access to these sources was limited to a large amount of the campus population. As such, those that were not satisfied felt that the information was delivered inefficiently despite the use of communication tools designed to promote efficient delivery of information. These unsatisfied respondents felt the steps taken by university leadership did not grasp the magnitude of effects beyond campus boundaries and added stress during an already stressful period. Additionally, the university’s use of satellite campuses led to further issues as information about particular locations was not always accurately conveyed. Overall, the results of the survey and the experience of the respondents demonstrate the importance of flexibility and clarity in planning and communication efforts when long-term catastrophes occur in order to promote a culture of preparedness on campus.

After Virginia Tech: An analysis of Internet and social media use in campus emergency preparedness

This study gauges the degree to which the nation's colleges and universities learned a key lesson of the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy: the need to rapidly disseminate emergency information to the campus community. A content analysis of 162 school Web sites found that three of four contained emergency preparedness information. It appears that most are now prepared to use the Internet and social media to alert stakeholders in the event of campus crises. However, less than half had links to emergency/safety information on their home pages. School size and governance appeared to factor in its placement on each Web site.

The clock is ticking: Temporal dynamics of campus emergency notifications

AbstractAs first responders to incidents, public safety officials must quickly converge on meaning of what occurred, the threat to the university and what information is pertinent to the campus community. Utilizing in‐depth interviews with current campus public safety officials in the Washington, D.C. metro area, this study explored how emergency communicators interpret the concept of timely in campus emergency notification decision‐making and what factors impact their ability to enact this interpretation. Findings from this suggested that the temporal ambiguity of the law creates differing expectations of timely, with prealert processes impacting how quickly notifications can be sent. Further findings indicate that universities with the more sophisticated emergency management roles also had the more robust emergency notification functions.

The use of social media for campus safety.

As public safety communication evolved, each disaster or emergency presented unique challenges for emergency managers and others response to disasters. Yet, a foundational focus is the timely dissemination of accurate information to keep communities informed and able to prepare, mitigate, respond, and recover. For the campus community, the increase in bomb threats, active shooter incidents, and geographic-based natural disasters call for the discovery of reliable and cost-effective solutions for emergency information management. Social media is becoming a critical asset in this endeavor. This article examines the evolution of public safety communication, the unique setting of the campus community, and social media's role in campus disaster resilience. In addition, an exploratory study was done to better understand the perception of social media use for public safety within the campus community. The findings provide practical recommendations for campus emergency management professions; however, future research is needed to provide specific, actionable ways to achieve these goals as well as understand how diverse universities utilize a variety of platforms.

Better preparing emergency medicine physician trainees for global and rural practice settings: a longitudinal component of university of Arizona's south campus emergency medicine graduate medical education curriculum

Better preparing emergency medicine physician trainees for global and rural practice settings: a longitudinal component of university of Arizona's south campus emergency medicine graduate medical education curriculum

Campus emergency management capability based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation

In recent years, campus emergencies occur frequently, and emergency management capability has not only become a social focus, but also been an unavoidable management proposition for the universities. This paper adopted the analytic hierarchy process to determine the weight of all the evaluation indexes, and established the assessment model for campus emergency management capability by the method of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. The emergency management capability was divided into 5 grades, and all the secondary indexes were assessed by the expert evaluation method; then the evaluation vector of the primary indexes was obtained by calculation. Finally, the grade evaluation vector of the campus emergency management capability was gotten based on the weight vector of the primary indexes, and the grade of campus emergency management capability was ascertained by the maximum principle, which is simple, reasonable and feasible, through which this paper is aimed to provide valuable reference to improving the campus emergency management capability.

Responding to a Campus Emergency: The Effect of Alert Sources on Learning, Message Speed, and Perceptions of Campus Safety

University campuses present unique challenges for crisis communication practitioners, especially in the aftermath of violent crimes and other major safety and public relations incidents. In the aftermath of a recent campus shooting, students were surveyed to determine the speed of information dissemination, the relationship between primary information sources and message speed, and the impact that message speed had on subsequent perceptions of campus safety and the university as a whole. Those informed by personalized media learned of the shooting sooner and formed more favorable opinions about the university. The findings have implications for emergency planners and crisis communication practitioners.

72-Year-Old Woman With Redness, Swelling, and Pain of the Forearms and Hands

dent tious A 72-year-old woman from far eastern Kansas who had a history of psoriatic arthritis treated with methotrexate and infliximab presented to the Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus emergency department for evaluation of redness, swelling, and pain of both forearms and hands of 10 weeks’ duration. Psoriatic arthritis had been diagnosed 4 years earlier, and her disease had been under good control until 3 months previously. Six weeks before the current presentation, the patient’s rheumatologist stopped her methotrexate, started prednisone at 20 mg/d (tapered to 2.5 mg/d), and increased the frequency of her infliximab infusions from every 6 weeks to every 4 weeks in the setting of worsening hand pain, swelling, and redness. Two weeks before presenting to the emergency department, redness, swelling, and induration of her forearms developed. Her right hand grew increasingly painful, and black skin discoloration developed over the right thumb pad. On presentation, her vital signs were notable for a heart rate of 116 beats/min and respirations of 25/min. Physical examination revealed diffuse edema of both forearms and hands with overlying erythematous, indurated plaques on the left forearm without palpable tenderness or crepitus. Marked swelling, induration, erythema, warmth, and scaling were noted on the thenar eminence and palmar metacarpophalangeal joint line of the right hand. There were 2 discrete areas of ulcerated black, dry, nonmalodorous skin on the right thumb pad. Laboratory studies yielded the following findings (reference ranges provided parenthetically): leukocytes, 10.5 10/L (3.5-10.5 10/L) with 54% neutrophils; plasma lactate, 3.3 mmol/L (0.6-2.3 mmol/L); and C-reactive protein, 128.2 mg/L ( 8.0 mg/L). Plain radiography of the hands revealed severe erosive osteoarthritis, chondrocalcinosis, and no subcutaneous gas.

Organizational Change as a Function of Disaster Recovery: Lessons from Gulf Coast Institutions

Research on organizational change indicates that higher education institutions change slowly and incrementally over long periods of time. This study posits that, under certain circumstances, institutions can make drastic changes quickly. A collective case study design was used to follow two institutions’ pathways through a disaster management process, in efforts to determine how campus disasters influence change. Information sources included interviews with campus administrators and emergency response team members, institutional documents, and media reports. Findings suggest that a time of crisis operations provides an opportunity to implement organizational changes, and that disasters create a context in which organizational changes can happen quickly and in revolutionary fashion. Implications focus on practical lessons for student affairs and campus emergency managers.

Optimization of the Distribution Route of Campus Emergency Aid Supplies Using an Improved Bee Colony Algorithm

Optimization of the Distribution Route of Campus Emergency Aid Supplies Using an Improved Bee Colony Algorithm

Gang Activity on Campus

This case study challenges readers to consider a contemporary issue for campus threat assessment and emergency preparedness: gang presence on college campuses. A body of research examining the presence of gangs and gang activity on college campuses has developed, revealing that gangs pose a viable threat for institutions of higher education. The question of whether and how to confront this issue raises questions regarding student safety, success and retention, as well as violence on campus. This case study presents a developing scenario, in which readers are asked to make decisions prior to more information unfolding. It is designed to address the question of campus safety, and focus current and future campus administrators on the complexities of the emergency response process.

Urge different campus departments to prepare staff members for crises

Your campus safety unit probably maintains a comprehensive campus emergency plan. It's also a good idea to encourage officials of departments throughout campus to plan ahead so they aren't caught unprepared during emergencies. After all, your overall plan is unlikely to address all the little details that will impact every single campus department, such as the loss of departmental data and health or medical issues of individual employees.

Campus Emergency Notification Systems: An Examination of Factors Affecting Compliance with Alerts

The increasing number of campus-related emergency incidents, in combination with the requirements imposed by the Clery Act, have prompted college campuses to develop emergency notification systems to inform community members of extreme events that may aff

Use of an automated drug distribution cabinet system in a disaster response mobile emergency department.

This article describes the innovative use of an automated drug distribution cabinet system for medication supply in a disaster response mobile Emergency Department vehicle. Prior to the use of the automated drug distribution cabinet system described in this article, the mobile hospitals were stocked as needed with drugs in individual boxes and draws. Experience with multiple deployments found this method to be very cumbersome and labor intensive, both in preparation, operational use, and demobilization. For a recent deployment to provide emergency medical care at the 2014 Super Bowl football event, the automated drug distribution cabinet system in the Institution's main campus Emergency Department was duplicated and incorporated into the mobile Emergency Department. This method of drug stocking and dispensing was found to be far more efficient than gathering and placing drugs in onboard draws and racks. Automated drug distribution cabinet systems can be used to significantly improve patient care and overall efficiency in mobile hospital deployments.

A GIS-microscopic simulation approach for optimizing road barrier placement and configuration in university campus emergency evacuation

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to create a framework that integrates GIS and microscopic simulation to optimize the placement of road barriers in emergency evacuation and assess the effectiveness via simulation. Human populations are at risk from many hazards including man-made and natural disasters, sudden events that are difficult to predict and prevent, but have catastrophic consequences. A critical issue in disaster management is timely evacuation that considers the dynamic traffic demand and congestions under dynamic hazard conditions. University campuses face a unique challenge in developing effective emergency evacuation plans due to their complex site configurations, high-dense buildings and dynamic spatial-temporal distribution of population. Design/methodology/approach – The framework was implemented and tested on the main campus of the Western Michigan University to optimize the placement and configuration of road barriers to achieve an effective utilization of road network when the demand way exceeds the capacity. The resulting system was also used to test the effectiveness of the phased evacuation notification strategy, both with and without the optimal road barrier strategy. Findings – It concluded that the newly created framework and its implementation could assist emergency evacuation planning for university campuses. It also concluded that placing road barriers at appropriate locations could reduce the evacuation time by 20 per cent or more under a variety of evacuation scenarios. Originality/value – The originality of this research lies in three aspects of: a university campus context, the integration of GIS and microscopic simulation in emergency evacuation and the simulation based turn restriction strategy.