Red Cross Research Articles

Characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Riyadh province, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

Little work has been done on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Saudi Arabia. Our goal is to report the characteristics of OHCA patients and predictors of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA), a governmental emergency medical service (EMS). A standardized data collection form based on the "Utstein-style" guidelines was developed. Data were retrieved from the electronic patient care reports that SRCA providers fill out for every case. OHCA cases that were attended by SRCA in Riyadh province between June 1st, 2020 and May 31st, 2021 were included. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to assess independent predictors of bystander CPR. A total of 1,023 OHCA cases were included. The mean age was 57.2 (±22.6). 95.7% (979/1,023) of cases were adults and 65.2% (667/1,023) were males. Home was the most common location of OHCA [784/1,011 (77.5%)]. The initial recorded rhythm was shockable in 131/742 (17.7%). The EMS mean response time was 15.9 min (±11.1). Bystander CPR was performed in 130/1,023 (12.7%) and was more commonly performed in children as compared to adults [12/44 (27.3%) vs. 118/979 (12.1%), p = 0.003]. Independent predictors of bystander CPR were being a child (OR = 3.26, 95% CI [1.21-8.82], p = 0.02) and having OHCA in a healthcare institution (OR = 6.35, 95% CI [2.15-18.72], p = 0.001). Our study reported the characteristics of OHCA cases in Saudi Arabia using EMS data. We observed young age at presentation, low rates of bystander CPR, and long response time. These characteristics are distinctly different from other countries and call for urgent attention to OHCA care in Saudi Arabia. Lastly, being a child and having OHCA in a healthcare institution were found to be independent predictors of bystander CPR.

Fast magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in children: the sub-10-min unenhanced scan.

In this study, we aimed to report the feasibility and quality of fast (unenhanced < 10-min duration) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of lymphadenopathy in non-sedated children with suspected tuberculosis (TB). This was a prospective study that involved children (< 13years of age) hospitalised at Red Cross Children's Hospital with suspected pulmonary TB who were referred for a fast MRI of the chest. The limited short-duration MRI protocol included coronal short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and axial diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences with additional axial STIR and axial and coronal T2 sequences if the patient was compliant. The scan time was capped at 10min and a study was considered successfully completed when DWI and STIR images were obtained in axial planes. MRI quality was recorded as 'acceptable quality'; 'poor quality, but readable'; and 'non-diagnostic'. Of the 192 fast MRI protocol scans, 166 (86%) were successfully completed within the 10-min allotted scan period. There was no age or sex difference between successful and unsuccessful studies. The mean duration of successful scans was 6.5min (standard deviation = 1.5min, range = 4-10min). Fast (sub-10-min scan) MRI is feasible for diagnosis of lymphadenopathy in non-sedated children in the setting of suspected TB, including those below 6years of age.

Information avoidance: Self-image concerns, inattention, and ideology

We report the results of an experiment on willful information avoidance regarding measures to address Covid-19. In the experiment, participants choose between two options, each associated with a contribution to the Corona Fund of the Red Cross USA and a payment to the participant. Depending on the treatment, either the participants’ payoff, the donation, both or none of these pieces of information were hidden, but revealable. With this design, we can separate motivated reasons for ignorance from non-motivated reasons, both of which are present in our data. Furthermore, we find evidence of both self-serving and pro-social information avoidance. These behavioral patterns correlate with the subjects’ political attitudes: while voters of the Democratic Party are prone to exhibit pro-social information avoidance, Republican voters rather engage in self-serving information avoidance.

Reevaluating the Latency Period Between CPR Recertifications Among Non–Allied Healthcare Providers

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a lifesaving technique that is useful in many emergencies such as a heart attack, stroke, choking or drowning, in which someone’s breathing and heartbeat has stopped. Under the guidelines put forth by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and the Emergency Cardiovascular Care organization (ECC), the American Red Cross and American Heart Association, the two largest CPR certification organizations in the US, currently require that an individual’s CPR certification be renewed every two-years. However, an increasing amount of data has suggested that non-allied healthcare providers, such as school-based personnel, may require more regular training and certification to maintain CPR proficiency levels.

The surge of spreading harmful information through digital technologies: a distressing reality in complex humanitarian emergencies

The surge of spreading harmful information through digital technologies: a distressing reality in complex humanitarian emergencies

KEPEMIMPINAN KOPRS SUKARELA PALANG MERAH INDONESIA; UPAYA MENINGKATKAN SKILL ANGGOTA

This study aims to determine the leadership strategy used in improving members' skills and to find out the stages and inhibiting factors of activities related to improving the skills of members in the Organizational Special Activity Unit of the Indonesian Red Cross Voluntary Corps at UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi Higher Education. This research is field research, namely by collecting data in the field. This study uses interview techniques, observation, and interviews. The research results show that the Indonesian Red Cross Volunteer Corps Leadership Strategy to Improving Member Skills, namely providing teaching material and practice in accordance with the skills in their respective fields. The stages of activities involved in improving members' skills are basic room education and training, field education and training, permanent member education and training, joint training with Basarnas, basic organizational leadership training, and weekly member training. As for the supporting factors, the leader always instills a positive spirit in the members in the process of improving their skills of the members. While the inhibiting factors are first, the implementation of the role of administrators is not in accordance with basic organizational leadership training, second, some members have not been able to manage time between academics and organizations so members tend to do excessive activities, and third, regarding campus funding for organizational activities sometimes not according to what the manager said.

Young apheresis platelet donors show significant and sustained growth over the last decade in the US, 2010-2019: A favorable sign of the resiliency of the platelet supply.

Platelet demand continues to rise and US hospitals frequently face shortages. The peak median age of apheresis platelet donors (APD) is believed to have increased over the last decade, raising concerns that the APD base is not being adequately replenished with young donors. American Red Cross (ARC) apheresis platelet collections were evaluated from calendar years 2010 through 2019. APD, products per procedure/split rate (PPP) and donation frequencies were stratified into age groups. The number of unique APD from calendar year 2010 through 2019 in the ARC donor pool increased from 87,573 to 115,372 donors, representing a 31.7% overall growth. Donors in the 16-40 year-old (y) age group increased by 78.8% overall, with the largest absolute increases seen in the 26-30 y (4852 donors, 99.9% growth), followed by the 31-35 y (3991, 94.1%) group. Donors aged 56+ increased by 50.4% overall, with the largest increase seen in the 66-70 y (5988 donors, 108.1% growth) group. Middle-aged donors, aged 41-55 y, demonstrated a decrease of 16.5%. Over the last decade, the youngest age groups (16-40 y) comprised 61.3% of first-time donors (FTD). Annual donation frequency increased with increasing age and PPP. The highest donation frequencies were seen in the oldest age groups. Although the peak median age of APD increased over the study period, relative contribution of the 16-40 y APD base also increased. Older donors exhibited the highest donation frequencies and thus contributed the largest volume of apheresis platelet units. Platelet donor activity declined in the middle age (41-55 y) group.

Designing a Qualitative Model for Critical Conditions of Covid-19 in Helal Houses in the Red Crescent Society

INTRODUCTION: Lack of a comprehensive classification of crisis and emergency management in Helal houses has caused many losses in the Red Crescent Society of Iran. Therefore, the root of these problems can be identified and investigated with a thorough investigation. METHODS: This applied research was conducted using a hybrid design. In this research, field and library methods were used. The data were collected by using questionnaire and conducting in-depth interviews with managers, specialists, and experts of the country's crisis management organization and professionals until theoretical saturation. In the first stage, 24 interviews were conducted and we reached theoretical saturation in the 20th interview. In the second stage, relying on inferential statistics methods, 422 questionnaires were distributed. The statistical population of the research is the Red Crescent Society of Iran and its time domain is the second half of 2022. FINDINGS: After performing the three stages of open, central, and selective coding, the final research model was obtained in which, 6 general categories, 15 subcategories, and 49 main concepts are mentioned. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the categories of human resources, organizational communication, and government policies are among the effective factors on crisis management in Helal houses in the Iranian Red Crescent Society in the critical condition of Covid-19 and the consequences of these categories have a significant impact. There are other problems and crises in the formation.

Dr. Google's Advice on First Aid: Evaluation of the Search Engine's Question-Answering System Responses to Queries Seeking Help in Health Emergencies.

The ever-growing penetration of internet and mobile technologies into society suggests that people will increasingly use web searches to seek health-related information, including advice on first aid in medical emergencies. When a bystander is incompetent in first aid and has no immediate support from Emergency Medical Services (EMS), as it happens in low-resource settings or in disasters, instructions found online could be the sole driver for administering first aid before arrival of professional help. The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of advice on first aid generated by a web search engine's question-answering system (QAS) in response to search queries concerning provision of help in common health emergencies. In December 2022-January 2023, an English-language search was carried out in Google with ten queries based on the keyword combinations (what to do OR how to help) AND (bleeding OR chest pain OR choking OR not breathing OR seizure). The search engine's QAS responses (up to 11 per search query) were evaluated for compliance with the International Federation of Red Cross First Aid Guidelines 2020 using the pre-developed checklists. Out of 98 QAS items generated by Google, 67.3% (n = 66) were excluded, mainly because the QAS answers did not address original queries. Eligible unique QAS responses (n = 27) showed poor coverage of the guideline-compliant instructions on first aid. Mean percentage of QAS responses providing a first aid instruction with complete adherence to the guidelines varied from 0.0 for choking to 19.5 for seizure. Only three (11.1%) QAS responses contained an explicit instruction to access EMS, while 66.7% (n = 18) included directions either contradictory to the guidelines and potentially harmful (eg, use of home remedies in chest pain) or inapplicable for an untrained person (eg, use of tourniquet in bleeding). Although the search engine's QAS responds to user's inquiries concerning assistance in health emergencies, the QAS-generated answers, as a rule, omit potentially life-saving evidence-based instructions on first aid and oftentimes give advices noncompliant with current guidelines or inadequate for untrained people, and thus create risks for causing harm to a victim.

An evaluation of blood collection efficiency at the regional level: the case of Turkey

PurposeThe aim of this study is to analyze Turkey's blood collection efficiency at the regional level between 2018 and 2021 and discuss managerial implications.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the efficiency scores of the 18 regions for which the Turkish Red Crescent is responsible. The data set is obtained from the General Directorate of Blood Services in the Turkish Red Crescent.FindingsThe results reveal that the efficient regions over the years did not substantially change, and regions that were consistently efficient for a four-year period are identified. Another finding is that COVID-19 did not affect the blood collection efficiency of the regions. Moreover, the findings illustrate that concentrating on the operations would contribute more to the blood collection efficiency than changing the scale size. Furthermore, the authors observe that the service population is by far the most important variable in determining the efficiency of the regions.Originality/valueIn this study, the authors present a multi-dimensional perspective on the performance evaluation of blood collection operations. In addition, the authors present blood bank managers' feedback on the performance evaluation model, outlining managerial implications. Furthermore, the authors explore the effects of the pandemic on blood collection in Turkey and illustrate the changes in efficiency throughout a distinct period that incorporates the pandemic. The study would provide a guide for blood bank managers to improve the performance of their organizations.

Developing a Model for Promoting Social Responsibility of the Red Crescent Society by Emphasizing on volunteers’ participation in disasters

INTRODUCTION: Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), as the biggest non-governmental organizations in Iran's social system, needs to develop the concept of social responsibility. The current study was conducted to develop a model for the social responsibility of the Red Crescent Society by emphasizing on volunteers’ participation in disasters. METHODS: A qualitative approach (Grounded Theory method) was designed to define related components. The sample population included experts and volunteers in the Red Crescent Society. The sampling method was purposeful and 22 volunteers were selected based on theoretical saturation. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview, and data analysis was conducted based on paradigm model explanation. FINDINGS: Based on data analysis, causal conditions consist of 9 main categories, 32 sub-categories and 76 concepts; contextual conditions consist of 6 main categories, 18 subcategories, and 77 concepts; 2 main categories, 8 sub-categories and 33 concepts for intervening conditions; the strategies consist of 11 main categories, 37 sub-categories and 148 concepts, and finally, the results consist of 9 main categories, 12 sub-categories and 52 concepts. On the base of extracted data, a paradigm model of the social responsibility with an emphasis on the participation of volunteers was designed. CONCLUSION: The social responsibility of the Red Crescent Society is a comprehensive issue and has different legal, ethical, public, national, economic and social aspects which should be considered in planning of this organization for disasters.

Humanitarian Aid in Disaster Management; A Developing Country's Experience, Nigerian Red Cross Society Lagos State Branch Perspective

Introduction:Humanitarian aid is an important part of an emergency response to Disasters and crises situations. When a community or a country is hit by disasters, urgent responses are needed to save lives and provide for the basic needs of the people affected. Humanitarian actors like the Nigerian Red Cross Society, play a vital role in these urgent actions and the aid they provide is fundamental to crisis responses. Responses to humanitarian emergencies involve the mobilization of resources.The Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos State Branch carried out some humanitarian actions for Lagos State populace during the peak of the Covid 19 pandemic in the year 2020 and also in 2021 with the support of well meaning Nigerians, IHS, and the British Red Cross who donated, supported and sponsored the activities.The offshoot of the COVID-19 operation which subjected us to an extremely helpless corner, was the high magnitude of the most vulnerable people crying out for food in different suburbs and slums of Lagos following the State’s lockdown.Method:Humanitarian assistance was delivered based on assessed needs, and according to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, which is the fundamental principles of the Red Cross movement. The methodology of the Humanitarian Aid used includes the following:1. Rapid Assessmenta. Criteria to be usedb. Questionnaire Guidec. Checklistd. Rapid Assessment Form2. Compilation of Information obtained from the Rapid Assessment carried:3. Validation of Data4. Data Analysis5. DeliveryResults:The outcome was to limit the impact of Covid 19 and help people return to normal. The anticipated effect of the intervention on the members of the communities was achieved.Conclusion:Nigerian Red Cross Society Lagos State Branch’s humanitarian investments have been able to save lives, reduced suffering and restored human dignity.

Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War by Samuel Moyn

Reviewed by: Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War by Samuel Moyn Matthew McManus (bio) Samuel Moyn, Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2021), ISBN 9780374173708, 416 pages. The term “revisionist history” has become something of a slur, referring to the propagandistic rewriting of established fact for the purpose of advancing a partisan narrative. This is despite the fact that reviewing and adjusting the historical record is what good scholars do, and great scholars can even give us an entirely new way of looking at familiar subject matters. [End Page 345] Samuel Moyn (Henry R. Luce Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School) is a great scholar and historian, and his earlier books The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History and Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World offered radically contrarian—but nuanced—reevaluations of the contributions of international human rights movements. Moyn highlighted how, far from relentlessly challenging established systems of power and domination, appealing to a narrow discourse on rights could prove a powerful sedative when easing to conscience of the readily placated. His latest book Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War for Farar, Straus and Giroux is equally contrarian and sure to provoke criticism from many quarters. But it serves as a necessary analeptic to all of us who too easily accepted the standard narrative about international humanitarian law hook and crook and deserves a wide readership. I. THE INVENTION OF FAT FREE, SUGAR FREE WAR The standard hagiographic history of international humanitarian law, or the laws of war, runs something like this. From at least the days of Ashoka and St. Augustine, many intelligent human-ists acknowledged that more should be done to blunt the savage edges of war. But for a long time, a combination of barbarism, the intransigent self-interest of Westphalian nationalists and self-identified realists, and the sheer scale of the problem meant that the most vicious wars continued unabated. Then, starting in the 19th century with the founding of international NGOS like the Red Cross and the formulation of the first major treaties like the Hague Conventions, things started to get better. Flash forward to the moral abyss of the Second World War, and we got the broad outlines of international humanitarian law as it stands today. Imperfect, and without a doubt imperfectly enforced, but none the less a major step forward. What makes Moyn such an acute analyst generally is he is never so cynical as to just reject stories of progress (however small). Humane never denies that the effort to humanize warfare constitutes a significant step forward, or that we should simply embrace what Michael Walzer in Just and Unjust Wars called the “war is hell” and there is nothing that can be done about its thesis. But Moyn continuously draws our attention to the fact that things are not as rosy as one might suppose. International humanitarian law rests on two basic principles: jus ad Bellum—the principle that states should only wage war under just conditions—and jus in bello—that a war waged under just conditions must also be fought in a humane way. If one abides by both of these principles, one wages a just war. The conventional wisdom is that the two necessarily and always operate in tandem. Moyn challenges that with a massive amount of evidence, pointing out how the effort to humanize the waging of war can in fact serve to help legitimate conflicts that should never have been started in the first place. In particular, he singles out the United States as the: ones who have invented a form of war righteously pursued precisely for being more humane, and one tolerated by audiences for that very reason. It has also been Americans who are revealing—contrary to literature since Homer—that the most elemental face of war is not death. Instead, it is control by domination and surveil-lance, with mortality and even violence increasingly edited out.1 [End Page 346] In other words, there is nothing wrong with the waging of forever wars—against communism, terrorism, and the enemies of freedom—so long as...

Deploying the Red Cross Red Crescent Health Information System (RCHIS) into a Type-One Fixed EMT: How the Use of a Custom Built Application for Electronic Medical Records and Data Reporting Improves Patient Care and Mandatory Reporting.

Introduction:RCHIS is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Health Information System (HIS) that has been purpose-built for use by Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Emergency Response Units (ERUs), which are the equivalent of Type 1 (fixed and mobile) and Type 2 facilities in the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) classification.Method:A three day in-person super user training was held with 13 participants: 9 first aid volunteers, 2 nurses and 2 medical doctors. Seven of the delegates had experience using an EMR. These super users served as trainers for staff at the pilot.The pilot occurred with the Portuguese Red Cross (PRC) for the Peregrinação de Fátima, where 200,000 people were in attendance. The PRC was part of a wider coordination cell with the civil defense authority, who required live reporting from the three Type 1 fixed clinics PRC had set up.Results:In total there were 77 user accounts, of which, 243 patients were consulted with and either discharged or referred throughout the four day pilot.The delegates shared feedback directly and through a survey. 88% stated that RCHIS was ‘very easy’ to use with the majority of delegates requiring less than 20 minutes of training to be using the application and inputting patient data related to their user role. Additionally, after their training 95% of delegates stated they had sufficient training to use RCHIS to its full extent. Informal feedback from delegates was hugely positive, indicating that it was improving patient care and also continuity of care when a patient returned the next day.The civil defense authorities were able to utilize the real-time reporting to assist in their operational response. The application was well received by the wider civil defense authority.Conclusion:The first RCHIS pilot was very successful from both a technical and organizational perspective.

Availability, Price and Affordability of Psychotropic Medicines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Access to affordable, quality-assured essential medicines is crucial to reduce the burden of disease. However, one third of the world's population lacks regular access to essential medicines. The purpose of this study was to assess the availability, price, and affordability of medicines for mental disorders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was done in selected pharmacies after modification of a WHO/HAI methodology developed questionnaire. Data on the availability and price of 28 lowest priced generics and originator brand essential psychotropic medicines were collected from seven public sectors, five private sectors, and seven other sectors (five Kenema Public Community Pharmacies and two Red Cross Pharmacies) in Addis Ababa between May 9 and May 31, 2022. The data were analyzed using the developed WHO/HAI workbook part I Excel sheet. Descriptive results were reported in text and table format. The overall availability of lowest-priced generics medication was 41.69%. The availability of lowest-priced generics and originator brand medication was 54.68% and 1.7% in the public pharmacies; 24.14% and 0.0% in private pharmacies; 43% and 0.0% in Red Cross Pharmacies; and 42% and 3.2% in Kenema Public Community Pharmacies. The median price ratio in the public, private, Red Cross, and Kenema Public Community pharmacies was 1.26, 3.72, 1.65, and 1.59, respectively. Most of the medications were unaffordable. A patient could be required to pay up to 73 days wages to purchase a standard treatment for 1 month. The availability of psychotropic medicines was lower than the WHO target for non-communicable diseases and most of the available medicines were unaffordable.

Increasing Effectiveness of Large-scale Prehospital Care during Crisis and Disasters.

Introduction:In the Netherlands several additional facilities and working methods are created to strengthen the effectiveness and capacity of the regular daily health care during large incidents and disasters. One system is called GGB (Large-scale medical assistance). The daily healthcare is organized in 25 safety-regions, which are far too small to handle big incidents. GGB provides in organizing assistance between regions, increasing the effectiveness of ambulance care, the deployment of other emergency services and volunteers, and coordination of this all. GGB is developed to deal with an incident with 250 injuries. This method was investigated to determine value.Method:Based on a standard questionnaire, key persons of ambulance care, trauma care, Red Cross and Offices of Public Health and Safety per safety region were asked about their experiences with GGB. (125 forms)Subsequently, the regional outcomes for each discipline were evaluated in a national conferences (four conferences). To conclude, an interdisciplinary national meeting was held to bring the results together. The authors developed the questionnaires, supervised the research process, and presented the results to the authorities.Results:Results indicated that the working methods for scaled-up care is useful and should be continued. The extra financial costs outweigh the gained strength. The cooperation between professionals and volunteers also receives a lot of support. Proposals have been made for further improvements, in particular concerning cooperation between organizations. Bottlenecks have also been identified in the collaboration between health care, fire services and community care.Conclusion:In the perception of the care providers there is added value and cost-effectiveness. This is important for the support of the system. As a next step, the authors want to focus on measuring the actual effectiveness. For that, we want to be able to compare systems in several countries. The presentation ends with a call to do so.

Collaboration Between Civil and Military Means for Teaching Disaster Medicine

Introduction:Training in disaster medicine can be partly theoretical but it must include a large practical part. If part of it can be developed through exercises in virtual reality or on a computer, the realization of life-size disaster exercises bringing together all the disciplines is of great help in this learning. Exercises of such magnitude are difficult to carry out in civilian life for reasons of resources and cost. We therefore wanted to develop this disaster medicine course with the three French-speaking civil universities but also with the Royal Military School for the practical part.Method:Collaboration agreements were established between three civilian universities (ULB, UCLouvain, ULiège) and the Royal Military School. The army thus provides the infrastructures of the Belgian military units to organize the exercises, personnel, means of make-up, vehicles, and security, all free of cost. Coordination meetings before exercises are also organized during the year by the army.Results:The exercises are organized in complete safety conditions on military fields, isolated from the civilian environment without disturbing the daily functioning of civilians. Access is authorized and organized for the various disciplines (firefighters, police, red cross and other participants). Nearly 100 people (victims, firemen, policemen,...) and 50 vehicles per exercise make the scenario completely believable. Different scenarios are repeated six times to complete the training of 80 students.Conclusion:The collaboration between civilians and military has made it possible to set up quality training integrating a large part of life-size exercises at no cost and in complete safety. This ends the course by integrating in practice all the knowledge learned during the theoretical part and the virtual exercises.

From Two hours to Two Seconds: Using the Red Cross Red Crescent Health Information System (RCHIS) to Complete the WHO Emergency Medical Teams - Minimum Data Set Reporting

Introduction:Standardization of data collection and reporting within EMT’s is challenging. In past deployments, the Red Cross Red Crescent Type one and two facilities (Emergency Response Units- ERU’s) have collected data by hand using paper-based form and Excel spreadsheets. This process can be laborious, time consuming and often inaccurate.Method:RCHIS is both an electronic medical record (EMR) and health information system (HIS). RCHIS has been designed to produce pre-made reports including the MDS in seconds extracting data from the patient records. Through significant testing and pilot deployments in a domestic type one fixed clinic, the rapid production of reports such as the MDS has increased compliance and accuracy with reporting.Results:The utilization of an EMR and integrated HIS system for increasing compliance and accuracy with the MDS has been hugely successful. An in-depth analysis of the export data was done to confirm the 100% accuracy within the MDS report.Furthermore, feedback from users and managers within the ERU’s expressed the excitement for the ease of reporting not only to the EMTCC, but also to IFRC and back-donors. Moving forwards, this data collection will also be used to collect essential data to audit and improve the quality of care provided within the RCRC ERU’s.Conclusion:In conclusion, the utilization of RCHIS within a domestic ERU (equivalent to an EMT type one or two) has been hugely successful. The next steps will involve the deployment of RCHIS within an international deployment.

New Resources for California Scholars

Research Article| May 01 2023 New Resources for California Scholars: The American National Red Cross Historical Nurse Files, ca. 1916 to ca. 1959 Diane M. T. North Diane M. T. North DIANE M. T. NORTH is a retired History professor, University of Maryland Global Campus, from whom she received the 2018 Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award. She is the author of California at War: The State and the People during World War I (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2019). North, a member of the journal's Editorial Board, received the Western Association of Women Historians' Ridge Prize for the best scholarly article published in 2020: “California and the 1918-1920 Influenza Pandemic,” California History, Vol. 97, no. 3 (Fall 2020): 3-36. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar California History (2023) 100 (2): 82–84. https://doi.org/10.1525/ch.2023.100.2.82 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Diane M. T. North; New Resources for California Scholars: The American National Red Cross Historical Nurse Files, ca. 1916 to ca. 1959. California History 1 May 2023; 100 (2): 82–84. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/ch.2023.100.2.82 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentCalifornia History Search On November 21, 2022, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) launched the redesign of its online catalog.1 One of the resources helpful for California scholars is “The American National Red Cross Historical Nurse Files, ca. 1916–ca. 1959,” a portion of the collection of the records of the American National Red Cross, 1881–2008 (ARC). These archives offer a treasure trove of information about the dedicated nurses who tended to the sick, wounded, and dying during World War I and World War II and their subsequent relationship with the ARC. The material includes correspondence, applications, biographical questionnaires, letters of reference, assignments, military orders, efficiency reports, memoranda, press clippings, and photographs.2 For example, the National Archives digitized seventy-two images of the records for Stockton native Elizabeth Haywood Ashe, who served as a chief nurse for the ARC’s Children’s Bureau in France during World War I (Figures 1 and... You do not currently have access to this content.

Effect of Single-Unit Transfusion Guideline on Red Blood Cell Transfusion for Obstetric Patients [ID: 1375663

INTRODUCTION: The American Red Cross recently declared a national blood crisis. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a single-unit transfusion guideline on the transfusion rate. METHODS: An interdisciplinary quality improvement initiative to reduce blood transfusion for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) was conducted in a tertiary obstetric hospital with approximately 5,000 births annually. Opportunities for improvement were prioritized including antepartum anemia treatment, early recognition and treatment of PPH, and blood stewardship. The baseline period was January 2019 to December 2020. The intervention period was July 2021 to April 2022. We recommended transfusions begin with an order for a single unit of blood (“Start with One”). Plan-do-check-act cycles were initiated. The clinical outcome was units of blood transfused per 1,000 deliveries. Relative risks, t tests, and control charts were used for analysis. The quality improvement project was IRB exempt (HUM00213652). RESULTS: Incidence of PPH decreased between baseline and intervention periods (relative risk 0.83, 95% CI 0.77–0.90). The baseline transfusion rate was 79.3 units of blood per 1,000 births. During the intervention period, this decreased by 32.8% to 53.2 units per 1,000 births (P=.004). Special cause variation was found after introduction of the “Start with One” campaign: 8 consecutive months in the intervention period have been above the mean proportion for single-unit transfusions. CONCLUSION: A single-unit transfusion guideline, as part of a multimodal strategy to reduce PPH, was associated with a significant decrease in red cell transfusion. The current national blood shortage should be a call to action for all obstetric providers to safely reduce the volume of blood transfusions.