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Introduction Triage is the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatments based on the severity of their conditions. The aim of the present study was to survey the effect of triage video podcasting on the knowledge and performance of pre-hospital students. Methods Sixty pre-hospital students were randomly divided into two groups of a 30-subject control group and a 30-subject intervention group. A pre-test was administered among all students. Afterwards, for the first group, triage education was offered through lectures using PowerPoint, while for the second group, audio and video podcasts tailored for this training program were employed. Right after the training as well as one month later, post-tests were run for both groups, and the results were analysed using an independent t -test and covariance. Results No significant difference was observed between the effects of both types of education on knowledge and performance, either immediately, or one month after training. Discussion We suggest that video podcasts are ready to replace traditional teaching methods in triage.

Introduction: This study was conducted to determine the relation between exposure to particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) caused by dust storms and the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and traffic accident missions carried out by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Methods: This was a time-series study conducted in Dezful city, Iran. Daily information on the number of missions by the EMS due to cardiovascular, respiratory and crash problems and data on PM10 were inquired from March 2013 until March 2016. A generalized linear model (GLM) with distributed lag models (DLMs) was used to evaluate the relation between the number of EMS missions and the average daily PM10. The latent effects of PM10 were estimated in single and cumulative lags, up to 14 days. Results: In the adjusted model, for each IQR increase in the average daily PM10 concentration, the risk of EMS missions in the total population in single lags of 2 to 7 days, and the cumulative lags of 0-7 and 0-14 days after exposure had a 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 6.7 and 1.4% significant increase. Also, for each IQR increase in the daily mean concentration of PM10 in single 1 to 7, and cumulative lags of 0-2, 0-7, and 0-14 days after exposure, respectively, a 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.9, 2.7, 2.5, 7.4, 23.5 and 33. 3 % increase was observed in the risk of EMS cardiovascular missions. Conclusion: Increase in daily PM10 concentrations in Dezful is associated with an increase in the risk of EMS missions in lags up to two weeks after exposure.

The two educational methods equally increase knowledge and performance, but the role-playing method may have a more desirable and lasting effect on performance.

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Background: In Spring 2018, due to intense rainfalls in Iran, plenty of mushrooms had grown, some of which were poisonous and their consumption had induced poisoning in people of different provinces; 1151 mushroom poisoning cases were reported within 25 days from 12 May to 9 July 2018. Objectives: This study aimed to address this issue from the public health perspective. The study further aimed at reporting the mortality and morbidity associated with mushroom poisoning and ascertaining the reasons behind the increase in the numbers of the affected persons. Methods: This report was based on the review of official reports and a field assessment in the areas affected by mushroom poisoning in the western part of Iran. Results: There were 1151 mushroom poisoning cases, out of which 1133 (98.4%) were hospitalized, and unfortunately, 18 (1.56%) died. Kermanshah province had the highest rate of mushroom poisoning casualties, out which seven people died. A total of 12 provinces were affected. Conclusions: Lack of knowledge of local people about the types of mushroom and their inability to differentiate between the toxic and non-toxic mushrooms, as well as lack of a swift and convenient immediate warning system has caused this incident of massive mushroom poisoning. However, planning and proper management can help to resolve these problems.

Dezful is the capital of Dezful County, a city in Khuzestan Province, Iran. On August 12, 2017, after a chlorine gas leakage in Dezful, more than 475 people were affected by chlorine gas, and they all suffered from respiratory complications. A lot of problems were encountered in the preparation of the relief forces and organization of the blueprint on how to respond to the incident, such as lack of knowledge on establishment of danger zone, lack of warning system, lack of proper triage and absence of decontamination plans, lack of special chemical safety outfit and respiratory equipment for rescuers, lack of instructions for proper handling, lack of knowledge in dealing with this type of disaster, and inappropriate evacuation skills and failure to cordon off and insure the location of the incident. Although the initial measures to arrest this crisis was performed based on the health system’s instructions of the country with regard to all the possible risks, lack of a comprehensive inter-organizational program and prevention plans, lack of control plans, lack of adequate preparation and response to chemical poisoning, lack of foresight, lack of a risk plan, and lack of an intervention plan for these incidents were the reasons for the damages and problems encountered after the crisis.