Expert system prototype of food aid distribution.
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The aim of this study was to improve efficiency of the food aid distribution process of international food relief organizations. An overall objective of this study was to develop a prototype expert system for monitoring and evaluating food aid by international disaster relief organizations. The research identifies data related to monitoring and evaluation processes of various international food-aid organizations. It then applies an artificial intelligence-based expert system to develop a prototype for those processes. Existing data related to monitoring and evaluation program cycles were obtained. An expert system shell called CLIPS(c) (National Aeronautics Space Administration) was used to develop a prototype system named Food Aid Monitor, a rule-based expert system, which uses facts and heuristic rules to provide an adaptive feedback regarding monitoring and evaluating processes at various stages of food aid operation. The Food Aid Monitor was evaluated and validated by three expert panels checking the prototype system for completeness, relevancy, consistency, correctness, precision, and use-ability. Finally, the panels indicated a belief that the system could have an overall positive impact on the stages of monitoring and evaluating food aid processes of the food relief organizations. (+info)
Use of electronic health records in disaster response: the experience of Department of Veterans Affairs after Hurricane Katrina.
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OBJECTIVES: We describe electronic health data use by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the month after Katrina, including supporting technologies, the extent and nature of information accessed, and lessons learned. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using cross-sectional panels of data collected sequentially over time. RESULTS: By September 30, 2005, clinical data were accessed electronically for at least 38% (14941 of 39910) of patients cared for prior to Hurricane Katrina by New Orleans-area VA medical facilities. Approximately 1000 patients per day had data accessed during the month following Hurricane Katrina, a rate approximately two thirds of pre-Katrina values. Health care data were transmitted to more than 200 sites in 48 states and to at least 2300 users. CONCLUSIONS: The VA electronic health records supported continuity of care for evacuated veterans after Katrina. Our findings suggest that pharmacy and laboratory computerization alone will not be sufficient for future disaster support systems. (+info)
The law and emergencies: surveillance for public health-related legal issues during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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Law influenced every aspect of the public health response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, from evacuation orders, to waivers of medical licensing requirements, to the clean-up of public health threats on private property. We used public health surveillance of news reports to identify and characterize legal issues arising during the disaster response in 5 Gulf Coast states. Data collected from news reports of the events in real time were followed-up by interviews with selected state legal and emergency management officials. Our analysis indicates the value of surveillance during and after emergency responses in identifying public health-related legal issues and helps to inform the strengthening of legal preparedness frameworks for future disasters. (+info)
Mutual aid agreements: essential legal tools for public health preparedness and response.
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Mutual aid is the sharing of supplies, equipment, personnel, and information across political boundaries. States must have agreements in place to ensure mutual aid to facilitate effective responses to public health emergencies and to detect and control potential infectious disease outbreaks. The 2005 hurricanes triggered activation of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement among the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Although EMAC facilitated the movement of an unprecedented amount of mutual aid to disaster areas, inadequacies in the response demonstrated a need for improvement. Mutual aid may also be beneficial in circumstances where EMAC is not activated. We discuss the importance of mutual aid, examine obstacles, and identify legal "gaps" that must be filled to strengthen preparedness. (+info)
The Halifax disaster (1917): eye injuries and their care.
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Explosions, man-made and accidental, continue to require improved emergency medical responses. In the 1917 Halifax Explosion, an inordinate number of penetrating eye injuries occurred. A review of their treatment provides insight into a traumatic event with unique ophthalmological importance. Archived personal and government documents relating to the Halifax Explosion were reviewed at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Canada, along with a review of current literature. Twelve ophthalmologists treated 592 people with eye injuries and performed 249 enucleations. Sixteen people had both eyes enucleated. Most of the eye injuries were caused by shards of shattered glass. A Blind Relief Fund was established to help treat and rehabilitate the visually impaired. The injured were given pensions through the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which continue to this day. Sympathetic ophthalmia was the feared complication for penetrating eye injuries and a common indication for enucleation in 1917. Even so, the severity and the overwhelming number of eye injuries sustained during the Halifax Explosion made it impossible for lengthy eye-saving procedures to be performed. Enucleation was often the only option. (+info)
Health surveillance among a team of Australian health workers assisting tsunami victims in Aceh, Indonesia.
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OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent and nature of health-related behaviours and outcomes among members of the first foreign medical team to arrive in Aceh, following the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. METHODS: A cross sectional survey of team members 4 weeks after return from Aceh. RESULTS: Compliance with antimalarial chemoprophylaxis and insect repellent was high while in Aceh, but only one-third completed the course of chemoprophylaxis. The provision of prepackaged food and water was likely to have prevented enteric disease. Members reported mosquito bites, fatigue, sunburn, headache and anxiety about earthquakes. CONCLUSIONS: Provision of prepackaged food and water, preventive measures and information to members may be important in avoiding illness in such teams. (+info)
Asian earthquake: report from the first volunteer British hospital team in Pakistan.
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At 8:52 am on 8 October 2005 a massive earthquake wracked northern Pakistan and Kashmir. Various teams were sent to Islamabad and the disaster region from the UK. We discuss the types of injury patterns seen and recommend that a central register of volunteers should be created to deal with similar situations in the future. (+info)
Nephrology in earthquakes: sharing experiences and information.
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Earthquakes are the most unpredictable natural disasters and often result in many deaths and casualties as a result in part of the collapse of buildings. To restore medical facilities and activities after a large earthquake, nephrologists play critical roles not only in the restoration of dialysis facilities for regular renal replacement therapy but also in the prevention and treatment of acute kidney injury and hyperkalemia, mainly as a result of crush syndrome. For these purposes, sufficient education and establishment of functional networks among medical facilities are certainly needed. Recently, the contribution of international task forces has become more significant, especially for large-scale natural disasters. Organized detailed action plans should be prepared among regional governments and armies considering the differences in cultures and social systems. (+info)