Disaster Medicine Pocket Guide 50 Essential Questions

A very handy practical book written by French doctors specialised in disaster medicine, this guide offers their core experience condensed in 50 small, easily digestible chapters. Each chapter is designed to enable the reader to “know”, “understand”, and learn what to “do” in the concerned situation, ensuring the crucial information is easily on hand and available. Facing disasters, whether natural or man-made, technological or social, what are the risks and the consequences of such hazards on victims? What kind of care to provide? How to get organised, to have the appropriate resources, and to protect oneself as a responder? The French emergency and healthcare preparedness has followed a unique path. The responding medical doctors have followed in the footsteps of Dominique Larrey, a military surgeon and the father of emergency medicine. For him, the on-scene presence of doctors is paramount to organise the entire healthcare and emergency response, an innovative method that has proven its efficacy. This book is intended for all healthcare and emergency staff, doctors, paramedics or first aiders in ambulances or in emergency services who might come to deal with a massive influx of injured, poisoned, or traumatised victims. The management of multiple concomitant emergencies requires specific know-how and skills. May this guide contribute to the dissemination of a validated French know-how and thus to save lives and alleviate suffering.

Technological development has not only provided mankind with more prosperity, but with increased destructive power as well. These developments, combined with an explosive growth of the world population, have led to mass casualty situations, varying from traffic accidents to war. In the 20th Century over 200 million people were killed as a result of man-made disasters --- a figure unequalled in the history of mankind. It is not surprising, therefore, that a new medical discipline has emerged: disaster medicine. The realization that disasters have effects which cross the traditional boundaries of medical specialisms and nationality, led to the foundation of the International Society of Disaster Medicine (ISDM), which issued an international curriculum on education and training in disaster medicine. As a logical consequence the ISDM decided to develop its curriculum into a handbook, now available to the global community of disaster medicine specialists. This Handbook of Disaster Medicine contains contributions from international experts in the field and will be of value and interest to a wide variety of professionals in the discipline of disaster medicine and management.

The second edition of this leading textbook provides the definitive guide to disaster health management. From the key concepts, principles and terminology, to systems for mitigation, planning, response and recovery, it gives readers a comprehensive overview of every aspect of this emerging field. Split into eight parts, the book begins by drawing the parameters of disaster health management before outlining key elements such as communication, community engagement and legal issues. It then moves on to discuss preparing for potential disasters, managing and mitigating their impact, and then recovering in the aftermath. Offering key insights into evaluation, leadership and the psychosocial aspects of disaster health management, the new edition also features a range of international case studies, including those outlining the management of COVID-19. It is essential reading for both students and practitioners engaging in this important work.

The most comprehensive resource of its kind, Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine, 2nd Edition, thoroughly covers isolated domestic events as well as global disasters and humanitarian crises. Dr. Gregory Ciottone and more than 200 worldwide authorities share their knowledge and expertise on the preparation, assessment, and management of both natural and man-made disasters, including terrorist attacks and the threat of biological warfare. Part 1 offers an A-to-Z resource for every aspect of disaster medicine and management, while Part 2 features an exhaustive compilation of every conceivable disaster event, organized to facilitate quick reference in a real-time setting. Quickly grasp key concepts, including identification of risks, organizational preparedness, equipment planning, disaster education and training, and more advanced concepts such as disaster risk reduction, tactical EMS, hazard vulnerability analysis, impact of disaster on children, and more. Understand the chemical and biologic weapons known to exist today, as well as how to best manage possible future events and scenarios for which there is no precedent. Consult this title on your favorite e-reader. Be prepared for man-made disasters with new sections that include Topics Unique to Terrorist Events and High-Threat Disaster Response and Operational Medicine (covering tactical and military medicine). Get a concise overview of lessons learned by the responders to recent disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Sandy, the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and active shooter events like Sandy Hook, CT and Aurora, CO. Learn about the latest technologies such as the use of social media in disaster response and mobile disaster applications. Ensure that everyone on your team is up-to-date with timely topics, thanks to new chapters on disaster nursing, crisis leadership, medical simulation in disaster preparedness, disaster and climate change, and the role of non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in disaster response – a critical topic for those responding to humanitarian needs overseas.

While serving as a physician overseas in resource-poor countries, Dr. James Chambers recognized the need for a practical, portable reference for non-specialist healthcare providers to orient them to common issues when serving in new situations, whether due to geography, austere environments, or complex humanitarian disasters. Field Guide to Global Health and Disaster Medicine draws on the experience, training, and perspectives of committed healthcare providers from diverse nations and backgrounds to provide the most essential information for maximum utility in the field—whether in a refugee camp, operating room, disaster response scene, or other demanding environment. Helps providers prepare for service overseas, organize data to develop differential diagnoses, assimilate information on infectious and environmental diseases, and effectively serve the patients they will encounter. Provides concise, easy-to-read coverage of how to approach a differential diagnosis for infectious diseases overseas; nutritional, sexual, and environmental conditions; surgical and anesthesia care; long-term and short-term systems-based challenges, and more. Covers key topics such as Approach to Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, Medical Response to Disasters, Mental Health in War and Crisis Regions, and Considerations for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Acknowledges the wide variance of different cultures, motives, resources, and limitations in the global health arena, and helps readers understand the factors which impact the efficacy and sustainability of care strategies.

Local public health authorities have the primary responsibility for the health of a community following a disaster, and work as part of a multi-agency team to coordinate the continued delivery of health care services and to implement plans for the use or distribution of assets. In the event of a major disaster of any sort, the Internet and other electronic resources may not be readily available. This pocket guide, based on the best selling Public Health Management of Disasters: The Practice Guide, 2nd Edition, will provide a quick field resource for public health interventions in the days immediately following emergencies. It was developed for public health professionals at the local, State, and Federal levels to provide quick, concise access to needed information.

Disasters are difficult to manage for many reasons: the immediacy of the event, magnitude of the event, lack of evidence-based practices, and the limited usefulness of many developed protocols. Consequently, combining academic approaches with realistic and practical recommendations continues to be an underdeveloped aspect of disaster texts. The Oxford American Handbook of Disaster Medicine offers a functional blend of science with pragmatism. Approached from a real-world perspective, the handbook is a portable guide that provides sufficient scientific background to facilitate broader application and problem solving yet approach the topic in a prioritized fashion, supporting rapid understanding and utilization. Contributing authors are clinical and public health providers with disaster experience. This book encompasses the entire scope of disaster medicine from general concepts and fundamental principles to both manmade and natural threats.

A human disaster is defined as a hazardous event that overwhelms the capacity of the local community to respond to the needs of the affected population. Medical and public health responses aim to provide care efficiently and promptly but all too often, responses are hampered by recurring mistakes. Analysing the factors at play such as the scale and frequency of disasters and the variety of challenges they present, is central to developing more effective response plans. However the complexity of disasters often precludes reliable data collection, hampering the accuracy of the results, conclusions and recommendations required to improve responses. Disaster Evaluation Research: A field guide presents a new approach to the study of disaster by incorporating a mixed-methods research approach. This practical manual provides a range of reliable methods, robust approaches and proven techniques for the gathering and analyzing of data. Written by leading evaluation scientists with a wealth of experience, the authors present their 'EIGHT Step Model' for disaster evaluation studies. This framework applies evaluation science to disaster responses, helping scientists to select key stakeholders effectively, write evaluation questions, use logic models and mixed-methods research design, prepare sampling plans, collect and analyse data, and prepare a final report. This guide also features useful tools for carrying out evaluations including; evaluation questions, indicators and data sources, resources, and questionnaires used in past evaluation studies. Using a clear, accessible and step-by-step style this practical manual is easy to use in the field and essential reading for medical and public health professionals involved in disaster preparedness and response, humanitarian relief workers, policy analysts, evaluation scientists and epidemiologists.