Level Of Emergency Preparedness Research Articles

Emergency Preparedness Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Risk and Protective Factors

ABSTRACT Recent increases in natural (e.g. extreme weather) and human-caused (e.g. industrial accidents) have raised concerns for public health and safety. Older adults face greater vulnerability and are often less prepared for these emergencies. Applying the risk and protective factor model, this study explored factors associated with emergency preparedness among older people living in the community. We analyzed cross-sectional secondary data obtained from the National Poll on Healthy Aging to compare factors associated with emergency preparedness among community-dwelling older people aged 60–69 (n = 383) and 70–80 (n = 370). Results showed that among all community-dwelling older adults, having previously discussed evacuation plans with family or friends was associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness. Among those aged 60–69, experience with an emergency in the past year was associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness, whereas living alone and having a Hispanic background were associated with a lower level of emergency preparedness. For those aged 70–80, higher perceived mental health was associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness. Implications focus on shifting the perspective of the disproportional risks for older adults around emergencies to one that values and supports older adults’ strengths and insights.

The Israeli health system’s rapid responses during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges to health systems around the world. In addressing many of those challenges, Israel responded quite rapidly. While quick action is not an end in it itself, it can be important in responding to disease outbreaks. Some of Israel's rapid responses to the pandemic contributed significantly to population health and provided important learning opportunities for other countries.Main bodySome of the most prominent Israeli rapid responses were related to vaccination. Israel led the world in the pace of its initial vaccine rollout, and it was also the first country to approve and administer booster vaccines to broad segments of the population. In addition, Israeli scholars published a series of timely reports analyzing vaccination impact, which informed policy in Israel and other countries. Israel was a rapid responder in additional areas of public health. These include the partial closure of its borders, the adoption of physical distancing measures, the use of digital surveillance technology for contact tracing, the use of wastewater surveillance to monitor viral spread, and the use of vaccine certificates ("green passes") to facilitate a return to routine in the face of the ongoing pandemic. Many factors contributed to Israel's capacity to repeatedly respond rapidly to a broad array of COVID-19 challenges. These include a national health insurance system that promotes public–private coordination, a system of universal electronic health records, a high level of emergency preparedness, a culture of focusing on goal attainment, a culture of innovation, and the presence of a strong scientific community which is highly connected internationally. In addition, some of the rapid responses (e.g., the rapid initial vaccination rollout) facilitated rapid responses in related areas (e.g., the analysis of vaccination impact, the administration of boosters, and the adoption of green passes). While rapid response can contribute to population health and economic resilience, it can also entail costs, risks, and limitations. These include making decisions and acting before all the relevant information is available; deciding without sufficient consideration of the full range of possible effects, costs, and benefits; not providing enough opportunities for the involvement of relevant groups in the decision-making process; and depleting non-renewable resources.ConclusionsBased on our findings, we encourage leaders in the Israeli government to ensure that its emergency response system will continue to have the capacity to respond rapidly to large-scale challenges, whether of a military or civilian nature. At the same time, the emergency response systems should develop mechanisms to include more stakeholders in the fast-paced decision-making process and should improve communication with the public. In addition, they should put into place mechanisms for timely reconsideration, adjustment, and—when warranted—reversal of decisions which, while reasonable when reached, turn out to have been ill-advised in the light of subsequent developments and evidence. These mechanisms could potentially involve any or all branches of government, as well as the public, the press, and professional organizations. Our findings also have implications for health system leaders in other countries. The Israeli experience can help them identify key capacities to develop during non-emergency periods, thus positioning themselves to respond more rapidly in an emergency. Finally, health system leaders in other countries could monitor Israel's rapid responses to future global health emergencies and adopt selected actions in their own countries.

Elements and Dimensions of Emergencies Preparedness and Response among Large Worship Centres in South-South Region of Nigeria

Good emergency response plans help ensure that appropriate actions are taken to minimize the effects of any loss. Considering the recent emergency events involving worship places in Nigeria, the study examined the emergency response preparedness measures in large worship centres in the South-South State capitals of Nigeria. With focus on worship centres with seating capacity above 1500, the study selected worship centres such as Full Life Christian Centre (Uyo), Living Faith Church (Port Harcourt), Salvation Ministry (Yenagoa) and Christ Embassy Summit (Benin) for the study. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design based on questionnaire for data collection and analysis was done through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS v.21) using the descriptive (frequency count and table) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance-ANOVA). The result of the analysis indicated that worship centres agreed to have appointed personnel for risk monitoring and emergency team (92.9%) and established a proper and functioning communication protocol with the relevant government sector (86.1%). However, the worship centres have not developed initial response monitoring framework to facilitate timely preparation and monitoring in case of crisis (67.2%) and lack a written contingency plan, response and emergency preparedness document that is publicly available (58.0%). The statistical analysis of the study indicated that worship centres showed significant difference in protocols between the Church and the Government for requesting/accepting international assistance (where p < 0.05, p = 0.014). overall, the worship centres showed significant level of emergency preparedness and response; however, there is need for integrated approach towards infrastructural development planning towards optimizing their emergency capabilities.

Legal regulation of nuclear and radiation safety in Ukraine (on the example of some foreign countries)

Peculiarities of the legal regime for ensuring nuclear and radiation safety of the NPP of Ukraine as a critical infrastructure object were studied in order to increase the level of emergency preparedness in peacetime, as well as in conditions of real military aggression. After all, among all branches of the use of nuclear energy, sources of ionizing radiation, nuclear energy remains the most dangerous against the background of the general unfavorable state of the environment, preservation of human life and health. The need for further improvement of all systems of ensuring national security, in particular the state system of physical protection of nuclear installations, nuclear materials, radioactive waste, and other sources of ionizing radiation, is substantiated; a unified state system of civil protection and their systemic interaction, first of all, by improving security legislation.According to the results of the study, taking into account the experience of the EU, first of all, of the countries in which nuclear power plants operate, an author’s approach was formulated regarding the introduction of 8 safety districts on the territory of Ukraine based on the identified zones of potential postaccident pollution around domestic and foreign nuclear power plants. The leadership and secretariat of security districts, according to the author of the article, should work on a permanent basis. It is proposed to achieve systemic interaction of security (Law of Ukraine “On the Basics of National Security of Ukraine”, etc.) and nuclear (Law of Ukraine “On the Use of Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety”, etc.) legislation through the development and subsequent adoption of the draft Law “On Coordination of Executive Bodies authorities with local self-government bodies, business, the public in emergency situations”, which should determine the effective mechanisms of effective interaction of authorities at all levels, territorial communities on the principle of subsidiarity, as well as public-private partnership with business, public involvement; avoidance of duplication and contradictions in the preparation of Plans for overcoming emergency situations, involvement in the preparation and monitoring of the implementation of the specified plans of the scientific and expert environment, first of all permanently operating scientific and expert organizations. The research uses the general dialectical method, the method of scientific knowledge, the method of interpreting legal norms, the formal legal method, the comparative legal method, and the method of systemic analysis.

Safe House App: Development of Mobile Application for Handling Household Emergency

Many people have a poor level of emergency preparedness, especially in their home environment. A previous study has stated that only a small percentage of people were well prepared in case of an emergency happening in their home while others are either do not know what to do or do not even think about it. This ignorance can lead to a harmful accident. For example, if an emergency such as a kitchen fire happens and is poorly handled by the people in the house it can lead to bigger accidents such as fire outbreaks. Thus, this study aims to identify the requirement, design, and develop a mobile application that can help users learn about household emergencies and increase their preparedness level for emergencies. Compared to other mobile applications for an emergency, Safe House App provides multimedia elements such as videos, and quiz activity which can attract users to use the application more to learn about the household emergency. The methodology implemented for this study is the Agile Model. Functionality Evaluation is conducted on 10 respondents aged 18 and above and most of the respondents are satisfied with the overall performance of Safe House App and agree that Safe House App can help the user increase their emergency preparedness level and attract them to learn about the household emergency.

Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Medical Students Toward Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Medicine in Singapore.

Despite rising incidences of global disasters, basic principles of disaster medicine training are barely taught in Singapore's 3 medical schools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current levels of emergency preparedness, attitudes, and perceptions of disaster medicine education among medical students in Singapore. The Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) was provided to enrolled medical students in Singapore by means of an online form, from March 6, 2020, to February 20, 2021. A total of 635 (25.7%) responses were collated and analyzed. Mean score for overall familiarity was low, at 1.50 ± 0.74, on a Likert scale of 1 for not familiar to 5 for very familiar. A total of 90.6% of students think that disaster medicine is an important facet of the curriculum, and 93.1% agree that training should be provided for medical students. Although 77.3% of respondents believe that they are unable to contribute to a disaster scenario currently, 92.8% believe that they will be able to contribute with formal training. Despite low levels of emergency preparedness knowledge, the majority of medical students in Singapore are keen for adaptation of disaster medicine into the current curriculum to be able to contribute more effectively. This can arm future health-care professionals with the confidence to respond to any potential emergency.

Beirut Blast: The Experiences of Acute Care Hospitals.

Mass Casualty Incidents recently increased in intensity and frequency at an unprecedented rate globally. On August 4, 2020, a massive blast hit the Port of Beirut severely damaging its healthcare sector. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the Beirut blast on acute care hospitals in the Beirut area, with a focus on understanding healthcare professionals' (HCPs) responses and encountered challenges. A qualitative research design method was adopted to evaluate the experiences of HCPs at acute hospitals located within 5 kilometers of the blast epicenter. 9 hospitals participated in the study. 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informant HCPs using a designed interview guide. HCPs reported severe infrastructural damages in their corresponding hospitals, and 2 were completely non-functional post-blast. Other than physical injuries sustained by HCPs, the blast imposed substantial strains on their mental health, exacerbated by the ongoing socio-economic crises in Lebanon. Moreover, the findings revealed critical challenges which hindered hospitals' emergency responses at the level of communication, coordination, and human resources, as well as supplies. Participants urged for the need to conduct proper triage, arrange emergency operating centers, and deploy outdoor treatment tents among others, to effectively respond to future disasters. The Beirut blast overwhelmed the Lebanese healthcare system and challenged its level of emergency preparedness. This generated evidence to address the deficiencies and strengthen the existing hospitals' emergency response plans. Future efforts should include prioritizing hospitals' emergency preparedness to ensure the provision of care at increased capacity following the impact of a large-scale disaster.

The Scenario Construction and Evolution Method of Casualties in Liquid Ammonia Leakage Based on Bayesian Network.

In China, food-freezing plants that use liquid ammonia, which were established in the suburbs in the 1970s, are being surrounded by urban built-up areas as urbanization progresses. These plants lead to extremely serious casualties in the event of a liquid ammonia leakage. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the key factors of personnel protection failure through the scenario evolution analysis of liquid ammonia leakage. The chain of emergencies and their secondary events were used to portray the evolutionary process of a full scenario of casualties caused by liquid ammonia leakage from three dimensions: disaster, disaster-bearing bodies, and emergency management. A Bayesian network model of liquid ammonia leakage casualties based on the scenario chain was constructed, and key nodes in the network were derived by examining the sensitivity of risk factors. Then, this model was applied to a food-freezing plant in Beijing. The results showed that inadequate risk identification capability is a key node in accident prevention; the level of emergency preparedness is closely related to the degree of casualties; the emergency disposal by collaborative onsite and offsite is the key to avoiding mass casualties. A basis for emergency response to the integration of personnel protection is provided.

Application of a SPAR-H based framework to assess human reliability during emergency response drill for man overboard on ships

Emergency preparedness is of paramount importance in successful emergency responses at sea. Therefore, emergency drills are regularly conducted to maintain acceptable levels of emergency preparedness. However, it needs to be considered that emergency drill operations themselves include significant risks, and there is no evidence that these risks are appropriately considered when planning emergency drill operations. Human error is one of the main contributors of accidents during emergency drill procedures. The main question posed is how overall risk, including human errors, during an emergency drill can be correctly evaluated. This paper introduces a new hybrid approach based on the Standardised Plant Analysis Risk Human Reliability Analysis (SPAR-H) method with a fuzzy multiple attributive group decision-making method. The method provides a framework for evaluating specific scenarios associated with human errors and identifies contributors that affect human performance. Estimated human errors are utilised to assess human reliability using a new approach based on a system reliability block diagram. The rescue boat drill procedure for a man overboard is selected to illustrate the method. The findings of this research show each human error probability and its contributing factors per task. As a result, overall reliability of 6.06E-01 was obtained for rescue boat drill operation.

Factors Associated With Individual Emergency Preparedness Behaviors: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among the Public in Three Chinese Provinces.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify factors associated with individual emergency preparedness behaviors which play an important role in effective emergency response.Methods: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted in China's Heilongjiang, Guangdong and Sichuan provinces in 2017. Questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews, and 2,506 were valid for data analyses. A structural equation model was established to test the direct and indirect effects of the relevant factors on individual emergency preparedness behaviors.Results: Low levels of emergency preparedness were found: 28% of respondents reported being fully/partly prepared. The attitudes of the respondents toward emergency preparedness had the strongest association with emergency preparedness behaviors, with a total effect of 0.483. This was followed by self-efficacy (0.305) and training/exercise (0.295). Risk perception had the weakest effect (0.045) on emergency preparedness behaviors.Discussion: Improving attitudes of the public as well as their ability to prepare for emergency events is important for effective emergency management.

Assessment of military preparedness for naturogenic threat: the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic

This article deals with the provision of cooperation of the Army of the Czech Republic with other units of rescue teams in the implementation of rescue and liquidation work in the regions of the Czech Republic in non-military crisis situations. At the present time of the global pandemic of covid-19 and the associated mass deployment of forces and resources of the primary and secondary units of the rescue system, the required effective cooperation in practice has proved necessary. The paper deals with the analysis of emergency management in a state of emergency in order to contribute to the improvement of civil-military cooperation. Based on the results of the research survey, the authors proposed evaluation criteria for determining the level of emergency preparedness of the forces and resources of the Army of the Czech Republic.

The ESTE Decision Support System for Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies: Atmospheric Dispersion Models

The ESTE system is running in nuclear crisis centers at various levels of emergency preparedness and response in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, and Iran (at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)). ESTE is a decision-support system that runs 24/7 and serves the crisis staff to propose actions to protect inhabitants against radiation in case of a nuclear accident. ESTE is also applicable as a decision-support system in case of a malicious act with a radioactive dispersal device in an urban or industrial environment. The dispersion models implemented in ESTE are the Lagrangian particle model (LPM) and the Puff trajectory model (PTM). We describe model approaches as implemented in ESTE. The PTM is applied in ESTE for the dispersion calculation near the point of release, up to 100 km from the point of a nuclear accident. The LPM for general atmospheric transport is applied for short-range, meso-scale and large-scale dispersion, up to dispersion on the global scale. Additionally, a specific micro-scale implementation of the LPM is applied for urban scale dispersion modeling. The dispersion models of ESTE are joined with radiological-consequences models to calculate a complete spectrum of radiological parameters—effective doses, committed doses, and dose rates by various irradiation pathways and by various radionuclides. Finally, radiation protective measures, like sheltering, iodine prophylaxis, or evacuation, evaluated on the base of predicted radiological impacts, are proposed. The dispersion and radiological models of the state-of-the-art ESTE systems are described. The results of specific analyses, like the number of particles applied, the initial spatial distribution of the source, and the height of the bottom reference layer, are presented and discussed.

Emergency management and internal audit of emergency preparedness of pre-hospital emergency care.

One of the negative components of international travel is the higher likelihood of emergencies that affect a large number of people (mass negative impact on health), for example the transmission of infectious diseases, as e.g. SARS CoV-2 pandemic. The frequency and sources of mass-casualty incidents are currently changing dynamically, especially with the onset of terrorist attacks and large-scale natural disasters. Health services and emergency medical service (EMS) take part in addressing these emergencies. For this reason, this paper deals with the EMS emergency preparedness in the Czech Republic for an emergency events with a large number of affected people. EMS in the Czech Republic are not provided by the state but by individual regions. EMS in the Czech Republic do not have central management, nor do they use uniform data documentation. The investigation of the current situation has shown that the attitudes of EMS in individual regions of the Czech Republic to the tasks of emergency preparedness for mass casualty incidents are not identical. The current method of evaluating improvements in the quality of EMS emergency preparedness lacks consistency and is not comprehensively supervised. To tackle this, the paper presents an internal audit methodology for assessing the level of emergency preparedness of the emergency medical services. The authors therefore defined the decisive criteria and indicators assessing the quality level of EMS emergency preparedness at major disaster with multiple victim incident. When developing the methodological procedure of the preparedness evaluation, an algorithm was chosen, based on the gradual verification of the evaluation criteria and indicators by an expert group. Some findings and recommendations based on a research carried out in EMS in individual regions of the Czech Republic are presented.

Campus law enforcement: the relationship between emergency preparedness and community policing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between emergency preparedness and community policing within campus law enforcement agencies, as well as agency and campus characteristics that impact the level of emergency preparedness activities.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the 2011–2012 Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies, this study employs ordinary least squares regression modeling to examine emergency preparedness and community policing relationships within 298 campus law enforcement agencies.FindingsCommunity policing is the greatest predictor of emergency preparedness in campus law enforcement agencies. This finding refutes arguments that emergency preparedness and community policing are incompatible policing innovations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited by the use of secondary data. Future research should utilize survey measures to better isolate the roles and functions of community policing and emergency preparedness.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for campus law enforcement agencies to view emergency preparedness and community policing activities as interrelated. Specifically, agency administration can benefit by taking a holistic approach to campus policing and preparedness.Originality/valueThis paper extends the current research in municipal policing to the campus police environment. This paper also adds to the limited body of literature on the relationships between community policing and emergency preparedness.

Hospital Preparedness and Resilience in Public Health Emergencies at District Hospitals and Community Health Centres

Background: Public health emergencies (PHE) caused by natural hazards spread from one particular locality to adjacent geographic areas and then encompass the entire planet in today’s fast global connectivity mode. Each country, including India, has its own set of potential disasters based on the hazards present as well as the unique vulnerabilities of the community and community’s preparedness to respond to particular disasters. Currently, human history is observing a very critical time fighting an invisible enemy—COVID-19. Therefore, in this study, we seek to understand the standardised measures of public hospital preparedness and resilience at times of health emergencies, including a pandemic, the most current one being COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study among health officials of district hospitals (DHs) and community health centres (CHCs) of Rajasthan using a semi-structured online questionnaire, with COVID-19 in mind, and sending it to those who had attended a training programme on disaster preparedness in hospitals. Results: In all, questionnaires were sent to 80 health officials of DHs and CHCs, of which 58 responded, with a response rate of 72.5 per cent. We collected responses on public health emergency preparedness, training-related issues, the capacity to deal with emergencies and prior experience in managing an emergency. Conclusion: The resilience and preparedness of DHs and CHCs in Rajasthan appear to be limited. From the studies it has been revealed that proper training and education on disasters like the current COVID-19, which is of significant importance for healthcare workers, is limited to only 37.9 per cent of healthcare workers. It also emerges that the staff members whenever required could mark and perform in the triage area, but the Isolation room haven’t got the request facilities and equipped to stabilise a critical patient despite availability of emergency stock of medicine. The stated functional status of DHs and CHCs reveals that the level of emergency preparedness is between low and medium and also varies from hospital to hospital and from CHC to CHC. Hence, it is time to reassess and upgrade emergency preparedness plans, which include mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Federal-, state- and local-level emergency management agencies’ functioning has to be effective and well-coordinated with the local level of operation.

Individual emergency preparedness survey among Canadians in Lower Mainland, BC

Background: BC residents are prone to natural disasters and emergencies such as earthquakes and prolonged power outage due to severe weather and flooding. To minimize and mitigate the impacts, individuals should prepare in advance for any potential emergencies. There are studies showing only half of the Canadians, in general, are well prepared. Concrete evidence of factors affecting individual’s emergency preparedness are not clear. Therefore, this research study aims to investigate the association between BC residents’ emergency preparedness level and demographic/socio-economic factors. Methods: Housed on SurveyMonkey, the online self-administered survey was distributed via Facebook and Reddit to survey local BC residents. The survey was posted on sub-groups based on topic-relevance and geographic areas that are located within Lower Mainland. The sampling period is approximately one month, which the results were analyzed by the NCSS program. Results: Overall, less than half (41%) of the participants reported to have an emergency kit at home. The chi-square test results show that two factors, language (p=0.025) and status of occupancy (p=0.048) are significantly associated with level of emergency preparedness. Conclusion: There are significant associations between level of emergency preparedness and demographic factors - language barrier and status of occupancy. People who do not use English as their primary language found to be less prepared to those who use English as their primary language. Renters, as compared to homeowners, found to be less prepared as well. This serves as supporting data and evidence to transit these findings to promote emergency readiness among residents in Metro Vancouver.

Maintaining Preparedness to Severe Though Infrequent Threats-Can It Be Done?

Background: A mass casualty incident (MCI) caused by toxicological/chemical materials constitutes a potential though uncommon risk that may cause great devastation. Presentation of casualties exposed to such materials in hospitals, if not immediately identified, may cause secondary contamination resulting in dysfunction of the emergency department. The study examined the impact of a longitudinal evaluation process on the ongoing emergency preparedness of hospitals for toxicological MCIs, over a decade. Methods: Emergency preparedness for toxicological incidents of all Israeli hospitals were periodically evaluated, over ten years. The evaluation was based on a structured tool developed to encourage ongoing preparedness of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), equipment and infrastructure, knowledge of personnel, and training and exercises. The benchmarks were distributed to all hospitals, to be used as a foundation to build and improve emergency preparedness. Scores were compared within and between hospitals. Results: Overall mean scores of emergency preparedness increased over the five measurements from 88 to 95. A significant increase between T1 (first evaluation) and T5 (last evaluation) occurred in SOPs (p = 0.006), training and exercises (p = 0.003), and in the overall score (p = 0.004). No significant changes were found concerning equipment and infrastructure and knowledge; their scores were consistently very high throughout the decade. An interaction effect was found between the cycles of evaluation and the hospitals’ geographical location (F (1,20) = 3.0, p = 0.056), proximity to other medical facilities (F (1,20) = 10.0 p = 0.005), and type of area (Urban vs. Periphery) (F (1,20) = 13.1, p = 0.002). At T5, all hospitals achieved similar high scores of emergency preparedness. Conclusions: Use of accessible benchmarks, which clearly delineate what needs to be continually implemented, facilitates an ongoing sustenance of effective levels of emergency preparedness. As this was demonstrated for a risk that does not frequently occur, it may be assumed that it is possible and practical to achieve and maintain emergency preparedness for other potential risks.

Masks and respirators, selection criteria for periodontal therapy: Challenges for a periodontist during COVID-19

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has created a pandemic, which has upgraded most medical services across the globe to the level of emergency preparedness and the highest infection control measures. Use of personal protective equipment and masks along with respirators is possibly the only way to combat the spread and its use in areas where the personnel is in high-risk category offers a lifeline. This review aimed to examine, summarize the available evidence related to use of masks and respirators, and possibly provide a recommendation for the periodontist and dental fraternity as a whole. A literature search was conducted on the PubMed, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, and Embase databases with the keyword “surgical masks,” “COVID-19,” “Respirators,” “N95,” “health care worker,” “oral,” and “dental treatment.” Masks and respirators offer prevention and control of the spread of the pandemic. Respirators are found to be more effective than masks in the ability to prevent aerosol transmission to health care workers. More studies are needed to be carried out to evaluate efficacy and vital characteristics of the respirators available to rule out any possibility of breach caused either by noncompliance or otherwise. Although the virus transmission is caused by varied clinical presentations, the use of masks and respirators offers hope in reducing the risk of cross transmission both to the dentists and patients.

Preparing Families of Technology-Dependent Children for Emergencies.

To characterize the baseline level of emergency preparedness among families of technology-dependent children admitted to our PICU and to determine if an ICU-based planning intervention can sustainably improve families' disaster preparedness. A single-arm, survey-based study used to assess participants' preparedness to handle a 72-hour home power outage on the basis of a novel 8-point checklist. Parents of patients in the study completed the survey questions when their child was admitted to the PICU, discharged, or transferred from the PICU, after at least 2 weeks at home, and after at least 6 months at home. This study included a cohort of 50 children younger than18 years old who required daily use of at least 1 piece of qualifying electronic medical equipment at home and their custodial parents. The checklist surveyed was designed with the goals of maximizing care capacity at home during a power outage and planning for evacuation. Counseling and other resources were provided on the basis of item completion at admission assessment. Patients' families completed a median of 3 items (range: 0-8; N = 50) at admission, 4 items (range: 1-8; n = 45) at discharge, and 7 items (range: 3-8; n = 37) at the 2-week follow-up and retained 7 items (range: 5-8; n = 29) at the 6-month follow-up. Completion rates were significantly higher at each follow-up time point compared with baseline (P < .001). Families of technology-dependent children admitted to our PICU have significant disaster-preparedness needs, which can be addressed with an inpatient intervention.

A Comparison of Emergency Preparedness Between High School Coaches and Club Sport Coaches.

Recent studies suggested that a large population of high school-aged athletes participate on club sport teams. Despite attempts to document emergency preparedness in high school athletics, the adherence to emergency and medical coverage standards among club sport teams is unknown. To determine if differences in emergency preparedness and training existed between coaches of high school teams and coaches of high school-aged club teams. Cross-sectional survey. Online questionnaire. A total of 769 coaches (females = 266, 34.6%) completed an anonymous online questionnaire regarding their emergency preparedness and training. The questionnaire consisted of (1) demographics and team information, (2) emergency preparedness factors (automated external defibrillator [AED] availability, emergency action plan [EAP] awareness, medical coverage), and (3) emergency training requirements (cardiopulmonary resuscitation/AED, first aid). High school coaches were more likely than club sport coaches to be aware of the EAP for their practice venue (83.9% versus 54.4%, P < .001), but most coaches in both categories had not practiced their EAP in the past 12 months (70.0% versus 68.9%, P = .54). High school coaches were more likely to be made aware of the EAP during competitions (47.5% versus 37.1%, P = .02), but the majority of coaches in both categories indicated that they were never made aware of EAPs. High school coaches were more likely than club coaches to (1) have an AED available at practice (87.9% versus 58.8%, P < .001), (2) report that athletic trainers were responsible for medical care at practices (31.2% versus 8.8%, P < .001) and competitions (57.9% versus 31.2%, P < .001), and (3) be required to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation, AED, or first-aid training (P < .001). High school coaches displayed much greater levels of emergency preparedness and training than coaches of high school-aged club teams. Significant attention and effort may be needed to address the lack of emergency preparedness and training observed in club coaches.