Archived Webinars
Below are the 2016-2020 webinar recordings. Click on the accordion panels to view the videos.
Cultural Diversity and its Impact on COVID-19 Crisis Management - Dr. Odeda Benin-Goren
Webinar Date: 29 July 2020
Cultural Diversity and its Impact on COVID-19 Crisis Management
This presentation demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural diversity among multicultural communities, especially during times of prolonged disasters. Israel is a multi-cultural country, with several minorities and religions (Jews, Arabs, Beduins). Each community has its own characteristics, beliefs, and religious rules.
With the increased number of COVID-19 cases, the Israeli government declared a state of lockdown. Many of the minority communities did not follow the regulations due to the fact that their religious beliefs and orders provided by their leaders are considered more important to them.
This behavior increased the number of COVID-19 patients in those communities and emphasized the need for understanding cultural diversity as a fundamental tier in creating trust and cooperation with official authorities. Furthermore, caregivers are required to have cultural sensitivity and a competence-based awareness of the existing cultural differences. Health care in these specific communities can be more efficient with the involvement of community leaders.
Triaged Out of Critical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Then? - Prof. Elysée Nouvet & Dr. Patricia Strachan
Webinar Date: 8 July 2020
Triaged Out of Critical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Then?
In this presentation, an overview of results from the rapid qualitative study: “Triage & COVID-19: Global preparedness, socio-cultural considerations, and communication” is discussed. Conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization COVID-19 Social Sciences Working Group, this study aims to clarify what frontline healthcare workers regard as ethically crucial to the care and treatment of patients who will not be prioritized for critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There exists significant guidance on the allocation of critical care resources during this pandemic, should allocation become necessary. Minimally discussed is the plan for COVID-19 patients with life-threatening diseases who would, under that worst-case scenario, be triaged out of life-saving interventions. Also minimally understood are the ways in which communication of critical triage decision-making to patients, families, and affected populations is handled or imagined in various contexts.
Based on semi-structured interviews (N=52) conducted over 3 weeks, representing all WHO regions, the presenters will highlight similarities and differences in HCPs’ preferences, concerns, and recommendations for critical care resource allocation, decision-making, associated care to seriously ill (at risk of dying) COVID-19 patients triaged out of life-saving interventions, and triage-related communication in specific geographic and cultural contexts.
This study contributes to learning about the perceived benefits, difficulties, and contextual differences that need to be taken into account when sharing information about plans for the triage of seriously ill patients. Ultimately, the goal of this rapid qualitative study is to build evidence that can inform governments and healthcare organizations in their development and implementation of realistic and socially, culturally sensitive COVID-19 triage and triage communication strategies.
Information Management and Decision Making Regarding Personnel during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Israel - Dr. Shoshy Goldberg
Webinar Date: 24 June 2020
Information Management and Decision Making Regarding Personnel during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Israel
Following the WHO declaration on the COVID-19 global outbreak, the Israeli Ministry of Health (MoH) established a national headquarters. The "Human Resources" headquarters, managed by the Nursing Division of the MoH, established a fast and reliable infrastructure for data processing to present accurate data related to more than 100 medical organizations providing the daily updated situation reports (SITREPs).
The SITREP created the basis of personnel allocation and staff training related to the COVID-19 situation, as well as the expected reference scenario. Information was collected online from the contact persons in all organizations, establishing a network communication system, and setting a unified report format. The reports focused on health professionals, mostly due to the staff diminution as a result of contact with COVID -19 suspected or confirmed patients. Besides managing the array of sick and quarantined personnel, the "Human Resources Headquarters" responded to the needs of the health organizations according to the reference scenarios and the gaps in personnel in quantity and quality aspects.
This presentation highlights the Israeli experience with human resources management during the COVID-19 outbreak and the preparedness for future responses and gap completions.
COVID-19 Trials and Testing: Principles and Pharmacology for the Clinical Provider - Sean Smith
Webinar Date: 17 June 2020
COVID-19 Trials and Testing: Principles and Pharmacology for the Clinical Provider
This presentation discusses the biochemistry of various agents under consideration in the treatment of COVID-19, as well as briefly touches on the science and challenges of developing a vaccine for the SARS-CoV2 virus. Additionally, current tests used in COVID-19 are explored, with a specific focus on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect viral genetic material and Immunoassay Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) designed to demonstrate exposure to viral antigens.
The science, pros, cons, and potential pitfalls in each of these areas are clearly and concisely examined, as well as how they relate to day-to-day clinical practice.
COVID-19: From a Prehospital to a Global Response - Chaim Rafalowski & Laura Archer
Webinar Date: 2 April 2020
COVID-19: From a Prehospital to a Global Response
This presentation focuses on the response experiences of Magen David Adom (MDA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) during the COVID-19 outbreak, from a prehospital and global perspective.
MDA, the Israeli National EMS organization and National Society member of the IFRC, has taken a unique role in the COVID-19 response by testing contacts at home and establishing drive-through testing facilities to ease the burden on health care facilities. MDA also operates a large call center answering more than 30,000 calls daily and oversees more than 1,000 people collecting samples. The operation has increased from 200 samples a day to more than 3,000. This part of the webinar also discusses lessons learned from several response services (including Northern Italy) in the framework of the EU project, NO FEAR.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and its 192 member National Societies (NS) have been scaling up their efforts to prepare for and respond to this global crisis. As auxiliaries to their respective public authorities, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and their more than 13 million volunteers worldwide have a unique role to play. Staff and volunteers are actively involved in a wide spectrum of COVID-19 public health and clinical response activities, from risk communication and community engagement and community-based health and first aid, to quarantine, screening, isolation, to home, prehospital, and hospital care. In this part of the presentation, IFRC discusses the work that they are currently doing to support individuals and communities around the world.
Clinical Guidance & Coronavirus: Deploying a Mass Casualty Mindset - Sean Smith
Webinar Date: 24 March 2020
Clinical Guidance & Coronavirus: Deploying a Mass Casualty Mindset to Stay Ahead of “The Curve”
This presentation provides clear and concrete clinical applications of the WHO/CDC guidelines, as well as those of various EM/Critical-Care professional societies for front-line practitioners. We will examine lessons learned from Ebola, SARS, H1N1, H5N1, and MERS outbreaks, the Las Vegas Shooting, and Military Mass Casualty Management. Then, we will explore how you can apply those lessons to optimize resources and outcomes for your COVID-19 cases while protecting other vulnerable patients as well as yourself.
Specific topics will include triage, transport, and treatment, the place of POCUS, the role of early noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV), advanced airway management, mass casualty/infectious disease ventilator management strategies, escalating to ECMO, and more.
The Mental Health Impact of Australia’s Bushfire Crisis - Prof. Erin Smith
Webinar Date: 4/5 March 2020
The Mental Health Impact of Australia’s Bushfire Crisis
Australia is burning! An area three times the size of the Amazon has burned. At least 34 people have died, hundreds of thousands more have been displaced from their homes, and over one billion animals have perished. The fires, burning since July 2019, have impacted more than three-quarters of Australia. Smoke concentrations in the air in Melbourne and Sydney have reached almost four times the acceptable limits set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). Respiratory and cardiac medical presentations are increasing.
The long-term health effects of breathing in this smoke will remain unclear for some time. What is clear, however, is that these unprecedented bushfires are having, and will continue to have, a profound impact on the mental health of Australians - on the communities directly affected; on the individuals who have lost loved ones, their homes, their security; on the first responders and thousands of volunteers who, exhausted, continue to respond even as Australia becomes battered by floods, cyclones, and savage storms while these fires still burn. And now, the coronavirus starts to creep across Australia’s borders.
What is the mental health impact of this? How can we best support well-being during a sustained crisis such as this?
WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE): the Way W(H)E Work - Dr. Dorit Nitzan
Webinar Date: 19 December 2019
WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE): the Way W(H)E Work
Dr. Nitzan’s presentation highlights how WHE works in emergencies, such as Ukraine and Whole-of-Syria, and emphasizes nursing roles in all stages of the emergency management cycle: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
Acute Stress: A Normal Response to an Abnormal Event - Dr. Richard Kamin
Webinar Date: 7 November 2019
Acute Stress: A Normal Response to an Abnormal Event
Through his experience as a physician providing medical support for law enforcement, Dr. Kamin learned first-hand about the symptoms of acute stress and how this normal response after a traumatic event differs from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although he was fortunate to have good guidance during this time in his life, Dr. Kamin realized that many who are subjecting themselves to the same potential are not well enough informed or resourced properly. Based on these insights, this talk aims to help prepare willing responders to be better informed and able to do the job they are called upon to do.
Presentation Objectives:
- Discuss acute stress response and how it differs from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);
- Understand how acute stress may manifest and how to address it most efficiently; and
- Discuss treatment options for acute stress and PTSD.
Better Medicine in Bad Places - Sean Smith
Webinar Date: 25 October 2019
Better Medicine in Bad Places - Optimizing Trauma Outcomes in Austere Settings
This presentation will feature cutting edge strategies to optimize trauma medicine in austere settings from the short-term to system improvements. Stopping bleeds / stabilizing patients will be covered along with transport, trauma surgery, and training.
Stop the Bleeding and Stabilizing:
Tourniquets, Tranexamic Acid (TXA), AbNormal Saline, Physiologic Fluids, the Trauma Triad of Death, Field Amputations, Fight the Pain, Freeze-dried Plasma, Transfusions, TRALI, TRIM, and more...
Transport, Trauma Surgery, and Training:
Triage, Transport, Telemedicine, and Therapy, Building Capacity and Trauma Systems where there are None, Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS), Medical Records, Follow-up, Prosthetics, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Psychosocial Considerations for both Patient and Provider.
Development of Disaster Nursing as Solutions to Global Issues from Japan - Prof. Sakiko Kanbara
Webinar Date: 25 July 2019
Development of Disaster Nursing as Solutions to Global Issues from Japan
In the aftermath of the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in Japan, the Japan Society of Disaster Nursing (JSDN) was formed (1998) to provide a platform for nurses to share their activities related to Disaster Nursing. A decade later in 2008, the World Society of Disaster Nursing (WSDN) was established to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and skills internationally. The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and other frequent disasters have triggered the need for more trans-disciplinary work, high-level care throughout all phases of a disaster event, and the need for nursing leaders.
While there have been some challenges implementing Disaster Nursing into practice, education, and research, the Disaster Nursing Global Leadership Programme, Gensai Care, and EpiNurse Project represent some of the good practices from Disaster Nursing which have contributed to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and sustainable human security.
Prehospital Management of Accidental Hypothermia & Cold Injuries - Dr. Rowena Christiansen
Webinar Date: 28 March 2019
Prehospital Management of Accidental Hypothermia & Cold Injuries
Australian Resuscitation Council (“ARC”) Guideline 9.3.3 “Hypothermia: First Aid Management” was published in February 2009, and Guideline 9.3.6 “Cold Injury” was published in March 2000 (the scope of this Guideline covers “frostbite,” “frostnip,” and more minor cold injuries such as “chilblains” (pernio). The First Aid Sub-Committee of the ARC initiated a review of these Guidelines, which has included an extensive literature review and, as there is a paucity of relevant evidence from clinical trials, reference to expert opinion and other published guidelines. The ARC has considered progressive iterations of the updated Guidelines at its meetings in November 2018 and March 2019, and it is hoped that both Guidelines will be finalized and published as “co-badged” Australian and New Zealand Guidelines by mid-2019.
The audience for these Guidelines is any prehospital first responder, whether a layperson or a health professional, so the Guidelines must be pitched at a non-expert level. There is also an important distinction between “accidental hypothermia” and “induced hypothermia” as used in special circumstances in medical practice. An additional perspective was brought to the table by the Surf Life Saving, New Zealand Resuscitation Council, and Australian Ski Patrol representatives on the ARC, and as a result, it was decided to include some material on preparation for entry into cold environments and prevention of hypothermia and cold injuries. It was also thought important to include consideration of casualties who were alert and shivering and could easily be rewarmed without needing hospital treatment.
Medical Detectives and Mass Fatality Incidents - Sean Smith
Webinar Date: 28 February 2019
Medical Detectives and Mass Fatality Incidents
From the first response to family closure, join us as we explore the forensic science of identifying the fallen. Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) encompasses many disciplines, including anthropology, odontology, radiology, molecular biology, and more.
We will briefly cover the evolution and science of victim identification, psychosocial support for families and first responders, Interpol procedures, and your potential roles and responsibilities with respect to forensic science and mass fatalities.
Mass Casualty Incident Triage and then Some - Dr. Eric Weinstein
Webinar Date: 31 January 2019
Mass Casualty Incident Triage and then Some...
The decisions to sort, assess, treat, and transport the many injured in one or several close locations after a sudden onset disaster is a challenge to balance resources in an ethical manner. The science is evolving to create an ideal system where there are basic fundamentals to concentrate when working with the actors involved to reach a common platform in context to base education, exercises, and set outcomes.
The webinar presentation consists of the following objectives:
- Theory:
- Model Uniform Core Criteria “MUCC”
- Review of (most) Mass Casualty Triage Systems
- Science:
- Exercise Design and Evaluation
- Outcome Studies
- Practical:
- Planning Process
- Exercise Design and Evaluation
- Special Situation
Complex Humanitarian Health Crisis: Venezuela in Emergency - Dr. Adriana Tami
Webinar Date: 5 December 2018
Complex Humanitarian Health Crisis: Venezuela in Emergency
During the past four years, Venezuela has plunged into a humanitarian, economic, and health crisis of extraordinary proportions. Economic and political mismanagement have precipitated a general collapse of Venezuela’s health system with hyperinflation rates above 25,000%, increased poverty, and long-term shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies. This complex situation has resulted in the dismantling of structures at the institutional, legal, political, social, and economic levels affecting the life and well-being of the entire population.
In this context, the rapid resurgence of previously well-controlled diseases, such as vaccine-preventable (measles, diphtheria) and arthropod-borne (malaria, dengue) diseases has turned them into epidemics of unprecedented magnitudes. In response to Venezuela’s rapidly decaying situation, a massive population exodus is ongoing towards neighboring countries. Emigrating infected individuals are unwillingly causing a spill-over of diseases beyond Venezuela’s boundaries. With a government in denial of the current healthcare tragedy and neglect towards the re-emergence of diseases, a dangerous scenario is brewing for even further epidemics of vast consequences not only in Venezuela but in the region of the Americas.
Older Adults in the Eye of the Storm - Prof. Sue Anne Bell
Webinar Date: 25 October 2018
Older Adults in the Eye of the Storm: Research & Practice to Improve Health of Seniors after a Disaster
The repercussions of disasters for older adults can be severe, as the aging population is particularly vulnerable to the effects of a disaster. While the risks to older adults are clear, the diverse mechanisms by which older adults are harmed—or are resilient and recover—remain understudied. In this webinar, Dr. Bell discusses her research on long-term health effects of disasters on older adults, where a fundamental premise of her work is to use novel methods to understand how disasters affect health outside of the common focus on the immediate after effects, with the aim of building a better disaster response.
Integrating Palliative Care & Symptom Relief into Responses to Humanitarian Emergencies - Dr. Eric Krakauer
Webinar Date: 27 September 2018
Integrating Palliative Care & Symptom Relief into Responses to Humanitarian Emergencies and Crises: A Medical and Moral Imperative
Responses to humanitarian emergencies and crises rarely include palliative care, the discipline devoted to preventing and relieving suffering rather than to specific diseases, organs or technical skills. This presentation, based on a new guidance document from the World Health Organization (WHO), describes the medical and moral necessity of integrating palliative care and pain relief into responses to humanitarian emergencies and crises of all types.
It offers an expanded conception of palliative care based on the needs of people affected by humanitarian emergencies and crises, explores the false dichotomy of saving lives and relieving suffering, and describes an essential package of palliative care interventions, medicines, equipment, and human resources for humanitarian emergencies and crises.
Introduction of Pediatric Physiological and Anatomical Triage Score in MCIs - Dr. Chiaki Toida
Webinar Date: 30 August 2018
Introduction of Pediatric Physiological and Anatomical Triage Score in Mass-Casualty Incidents
Triage plays an important role in providing suitable care to the largest number of casualties in a disaster setting. As a result, the Pediatric Physiological and Anatomical Triage score (PPATS) was developed as a new secondary triage method. Dr. Toida’s team also evaluated the accuracy of prediction for ICU-indicated patients by comparing the PPATS to conventional triage methods, such as the Physiological and Anatomical Triage (PAT) and the Triage Revised Trauma Score (TRTS).
Ethics of Real Time EMS Direction - Dr. Jay Brenner
Webinar Date: 26 July 2018
The Ethics of Real-Time EMS Direction: Suggested Curricular Content
Ethical dilemmas can create moral distress in even the most experienced emergency physicians (EPs). Following reasonable and justified approaches can help alleviate such distress. This presentation will help guide EPs providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) direction to navigate through common ethical issues confronted in the prehospital delivery of care, including protecting privacy and confidentiality, decision-making capacity and refusal of treatment, withholding of treatment, and termination of resuscitation (TOR). This requires a strong foundation in the principles and theories underlying sound ethical decisions that EPs and prehospital providers make every day in good faith, but will now also make with more awareness and conscientiousness.
Response of Dhulikhel Hospital after Earthquake in Nepal, 2015 - Sulekha Shrestha
Webinar Date: 20 June 2018
Response of Dhulikhel Hospital after Earthquake in Nepal, 2015
The Nepal Earthquake of 2015, a 7.8 magnitude quake, struck near the city of Kathmandu in central Nepal on 25 April 2015. It affected more than eight million people: about 9,000 people were killed, many thousands more were injured, and more than 600,000 structures in Kathmandu and the surrounding towns were either damaged or destroyed. Immediately after the quake, the Nepalese government declared a state of emergency.
Shortly after the first earthquake struck on 25 April, patients started arriving at Dhulikhel Hospital (DH) in Kathmandu. DH commenced free medical services immediately after the earthquake. All five operating rooms at DH treated earthquake trauma victims for nearly 24 hours a day for more than a week. Over the course of six weeks, there were 549 surgeries performed.
Understanding Terror Medicine - Prof. Leonard Cole
Webinar Date: 14 March 2018
Understanding Terror Medicine
The field of terror medicine emerged early in the 21st century prompted by an increase of global terrorism. Its growth has reflected the need for the medical community to anticipate and optimally react to a terrorist threat. Terror medicine overlaps with aspects of emergency and disaster medicine. It also includes a constellation of medical and security issues distinctively related to terrorist attacks. Terror medicine encompasses four broad areas: preparedness, incident management, mechanisms of injuries and responses, and psychological consequences. A substantial literature on the subject has developed in recent years.
Flight Medicine…Touching Lives…Touching the Face of God - Sean Smith
Webinar Date: 2 March 2018
Flight Medicine…Touching Lives…Touching the Face of God…
This presentation reviews the evolution of Flight Medicine, from Marie Marvingt – “The Bride of Danger”, to the drums of World War, present-day military Med-Evacs, and beyond to modern specialized civilian teams, such as the Royal Doctors Flying Service (RFDS), NASA, Neonatal-Pediatric Transport, ECMO, Ebola, and more!
Recreational Substances at Music Festivals: From Public Health to Critical Care - Dr. Brendan Munn
Webinar Date: 24 January 2018
Preparing and Planning for Recreational Substances at Music Festivals: Considerations from Public Health to Critical Care
This presentation includes a review of what is known from the literature about music festivals and the use of recreational substances at these events, followed by a review of key concepts for consideration in planning for these events from a mass gathering/directorship standpoint and the rationale of their importance.
Counter-Terrorism Medicine: It is Time - Dr. Gregory Ciottone
Webinar Date: 14 November 2017
Counter-Terrorism Medicine is a new area of expertise mandated by the increasingly complex and devastating terrorist attacks seen recently around the world. We are facing an emerging healthcare crisis, the first to arise in the 21st century. War is evolving from two armies facing off on a battlefield to asymmetric, multi-modality attacks on civilians in our metropolitan centers, mass gathering sites, and transportation hubs. In a world where high-profile events such as those in Paris, Brussels, Nice, and London occur all too often, and lower-profile attacks on soft civilian targets are a nearly daily occurrence, we must learn to be proactive rather than reactive in the steps we take. It is time we define exactly what the unique mitigation, preparedness, and response measures to asymmetric, multi-modality terrorist attack are, and how public health systems, healthcare facilities, and EMS responders must implement them.
Terrorist attacks often result in a surge of specific ballistic and blast-related wound patterns that put high demand on our healthcare systems. In addition, both responders and healthcare facilities are now being either primarily or secondarily targeted as well, demanding a higher awareness of specific scene safety and target-hardening issues. Combined with the need to prepare for CBRNE possibilities in future terrorist attacks, these new challenges facing our hospital-based and EMS personnel must be addressed through specific Counter-Terrorism Medicine practices.
The recent surge in asymmetric attacks is a healthcare crisis, one that will likely escalate over time. As we inadvertently present “soft” targets through our very open societies, terrorists will continue to attack us in ways designed to maximize casualties. Likewise, responders and hospitals will be increasingly targeted, as they are the frontlines of this crisis. We must fuse the lessons we have learned from accidental and natural disasters into the steps we take to address intentional attacks. In order to be most effective, while also protecting the safety of personnel, Counter-Terrorism Medicine practices must be learned, understood, and implemented.
Sixteen Years on: 9/11 First Responders and their Families Share their Stories - Dr. Erin Smith
Webinar Date: 26 October 2017
The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks (9/11) killed nearly 3,000 people including 413 emergency first responders. Whilst New York rebounded strongly following 9/11, one of the painful legacies of the disaster is the lasting effect on the physical and mental health of thousands of individuals who survived the attacks — including the 9/11 responders. Now, sixteen years after 9/11, the impact on the responders and their families is ongoing. They are still impacted by long-term physical and psychosocial consequences of that day – traumatized by 9/11 – because what they experienced has not ended.
New cases of 9/11-related illness are diagnosed regularly. Cancer rates are around 15% higher in those who were exposed to Ground Zero compared to those who were not. More than 1,000 responders have died in the years following 9/11 of causes directly related to the time they spent on “the pile.” Over 7,000 are currently being treated for 9/11-related illnesses and some 2,500 responders have retired due to 9/11-related disability. The reality is that the death toll from the terrorist attacks grows larger each year, and while the physical wounds may have healed, the emotional scars remain for many.
CBRNE Prehospital Major Incident Environment - Prof. David Heslop
Webinar Date: 27 July 2017
Associate Professor David Heslop from the University of New South Wales presents: The CBRNE Prehospital Major Incident Environment - Recent Advances and Persistent Gaps Impacting Casualty Treatment, Medical Operations, and Decontamination Operations.
Disaster Nursing History in Japan - Mayumi Kako, PhD
Webinar Date: 27 July 2017
Japan has historically experienced numerous disasters as a result of being located on the “Pacific Rim of Fire.” Japan was also the target of a CBRNE disaster that happened in 1995, the Sarin Subway event.
The webinar will present the fast development of disaster health (with a particular focus on disaster nursing in Japan), summarize the contemporary history of disaster nursing in Japan, and provide an overview its organizational system, particularly in disaster situations.
Legacy Planning for the 2014 World Cup & 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil - Dr. Regina Rigatto Witt
Webinar Date: 30 March 2017
There is an emerging interest in the need to demonstrate a sustainable health legacy from mass gatherings investments. The World Cup and the Olympic Games were opportunities for the Brazilian government to develop a specific policy regarding Mass Gatherings. This seminar provides an overview of the process developed to identify, classify, and evaluate legacy of healthcare planning in the host city of Porto Alegre for the World Cup 2014.
The webinar discusses examples from the literature on how this development allowed the government to assess and evaluate the available resources to provide crucial support, and build capacity for future events, such as the 2016 Olympic Games.
Disaster Research Ethics: Developing Evidence Ethically - Dr. Dónal O’Mathúna
Webinar Date: 1 March 2017
Disaster responders need evidence to help guide their decisions as they plan for and implement responses. Disaster risk reduction requires evidence for policies and programs. The need for evidence creates an ethical imperative to conduct research on and in disasters. Some of that research involves human participants and raises another ethical imperative to protect participants.
This webinar provides an overview of some ethical challenges arising from balancing these dual imperatives in disaster research. Such issues have been highlighted by the inclusion of disaster research within the 2016 revision of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) ethics guidelines for biomedical research.
The webinar discusses examples from medical intervention research during the Ebola outbreak and with qualitative research in humanitarian crises. Disaster research also challenges current approaches to research ethics approval procedures and some modified approaches will be examined.
The webinar was being co-hosted by the Division of Bioethics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and the Center for Disaster & Humanitarian Ethics.
A Toolkit for Disaster Preparedness & Response Information - Elizabeth Norton
Webinar Date: 23 February 2017
Authoritative information is critical in the preparation for and response to disasters and public health emergencies. Scattered across a myriad of sources, information can be difficult to find and even harder to evaluate for credibility and reliability. Using the Internet can take hours of searching to find elusive but critical documents. As the world’s largest aggregator of biomedical literature, the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) has a set of information tools, apps, and databases that can provide authoritative, evidence-based information critical prior to and during a disaster or public health emergency, making searching more effective and efficient.
Elizabeth Norton from NLM demonstrates the use of Disaster Lit®, an NLM database containing the often hard to find guidelines, white papers, trainings, and other important materials that are published in a wide range of places, and about a set of HAZMAT/CBRNE information tools that assist responders in the field. Participants will also learn about PubMed Central, a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature containing the best peer-review and most recently published research results. The webinar will also cover the Emergency Access Initiative (EAI), a collaboration between NLM and publishers to provide temporary free access to full-text articles to healthcare professionals and libraries affected by disasters.
Tragic Choices: Ethical Uncertainty in Humanitarian Healthcare - Dr. Matthew Hunt
Webinar Date: 26 January 2017
In the course of providing healthcare in situations of humanitarian crisis, health professionals face situations in which all available options are morally problematic in some way and, regardless of the decision made, something of moral significance will be given up. Such tragic choices have been described as an inescapable feature of humanitarian action. To illustrate the nature of these choices, Dr. Hunt discusss dilemmas related to the limits of professional competency and dilemmas of patient selection. He proposes avenues for humanitarian health professionals and humanitarian
Kiss Nightclub Fire in Santa Maria, Brazil - Dr. Silvana Dal Ponte
Webinar Date: 4 November 2016
On 27 January 2013, a fire at the Kiss Nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil led to a mass-casualty incident affecting hundreds of college students. A total of 234 people died on scene, 145 were hospitalized, and another 623 people received treatment throughout the first week following the incident, eight of whom later died. The military police were the first on scene, followed by the state fire department, and then the municipal Mobile Prehospital Assistance (SAMU) ambulances. The number of victims was not communicated clearly to the various units arriving on scene, leading to insufficient rescue personnel and equipment. Incident command was established on scene, but the rescuers and police were still unable to control the chaos of multiple bystanders attempting to assist in the rescue efforts.
The Municipal Sports Center (CDM) was designated as the location for dead bodies, where victim identification and communication with families occurred, as well as forensic evaluation, which determined the primary cause of death to be asphyxia. A command center was established at the Hospital de Caridade Astrogildo de Azevedo (HCAA) in Santa Maria to direct where patients should be admitted, recruit staff, and procure additional supplies, as needed. The victims suffered primarily from smoke inhalation and many required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. There was a shortage of ventilators; therefore, some had to be borrowed from local hospitals, neighboring cities, and distant areas in the state. A total of 54 patients were transferred to hospitals in the capital city of Porto Alegre (Brazil).
The main issues with the response to the fire were scene control and communication. Areas for improvement were identified, namely the establishment of a disaster-response plan, as well as regularly scheduled training in disaster preparedness/response. These activities are the first steps to improving mass-casualty responses.
Impact of Mass Gatherings on Ambulance Services and Hospitals - Jamie Ranse
Webinar Date: 14 October 2016
During a mass gathering, some participants may receive health care for injuries or illnesses that occur during the event. In-event first responders provide initial assessment and management. However, when further definitive care is required, municipal ambulance services provide additional assessment, treatment, and transport of participants to acute care settings, such as hospitals.
The impact on both ambulance services and hospitals from mass-gathering events is the focus of this presentation. In particular, a case study of one outdoor music festival in 2012 in the Australian Capital Territory with approximately 20,000 participants will be analysed. This festival had one first aid post and a health team staffed by doctors, nurses, and paramedics.
Public Health Challenge of the Kumbla Mela 2013 Event - Dr. MP Cariappa
Webinar Date: 2 September 2016
Mass gathering events pose challenges to the most adept of public health practitioners in ensuring health safety of the population. These mass gatherings can be for sporting events, musical festivals, or more commonly have religious undertones in developing countries. The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India in 2013 may have been the largest gathering of humanity in the history of mankind with nearly 120 million pilgrims having thronged the venue.
The scale of the event posed a challenge to the maintenance of public health security and safety. A snapshot of the experience of managing the hygiene and sanitation aspect of this mega event is being presented in this webinar, highlighting the importance of proactive public health planning and preparedness. The evident flaw on post-event analyses is the failure to adequately cater for environmental mopping up operations on winding up.
TCCC, TEMS, HNT - Dr. William Bograkos
Webinar Date: 22 August 2016
Dr. Bograkos received his Disaster and CBRNE training during his 28 years of military service. Col. Bograkos has served both the US Army and Air Force as a military Flight Surgeon, Family Medicine, and Emergency Medicine physician. Operational experiences include: MP BN Surgeon, WMD SOD, & NATO PK Division Surgeon. He has served the Pentagon’s “Civil Military Emergency Preparedness” office as a Bioterrorism/ Medical Consultant (PfP Black Sea Initiative), briefed at the “First Interpol Global Conference on Preventing Bioterrorism” in Lyon, France (2005), and has instructed with DoD, DoJ, DHS, and NATO.
Colonel Bograkos graduated from the US Naval War College “with distinction” in 2009. He received his MA in National Security & Strategic Studies (AOS Irregular Warfare / narco-terrorism) with distinction in 2011. He is a Clinical Professor of Medical Military Science, Family Medicine, and Emergency Medicine at the University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Advanced Nurse Practitioners Reducing Referrals to Local Care - Tony Kemp
Webinar Date: 5 August 2016
Tony is a nurse and an academic practicing within prehospital care, including regular attendance at mass gatherings within the United Kingdom. He is the Honorary Secretary of the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS). Tony is a member of the Crowd Medical Team for Millwall FC and regularly teaches BASICS courses and the Crowd Doctors course for the Faculty of Prehospital Care at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Tony’s webinar reviews his research concerning the role of advanced nurse practitioners in admission avoidance at mass gatherings. Using a quantitative approach, Tony demonstrated a statistical benefit that was supported by an identifiable and meaningful outcome.
Public Health Planning for Mass Gatherings - Dr. Tina Endericks
Webinar Date: 1 July 2016
Dr. Endericks works at Public Health England and has years of experience with mass gathering events such as the London Olympics and European World Cups. She presents an overview of the updated public health for mass gathering - key considerations document, "lessons learned" from London 2012 Summer Games, and the work that is being done to support the planning for Rio 2016.
Crowd Psychology and Mass Gathering - Dr. John Drury
Webinar Date: 18 March 2016
Dr. Drury presents an introduction to the psychology of crowd behavior explaining how social identity principles have been used to explain mass emergency behavior. It describes recent research on mass gatherings (a music festival and the Hajj pilgrimage) using the social identity approach, showing how crowd self-regulation processes can complement formal crowd safety management practices.
For more information about Dr. John Drury, please visit - https://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/92858.