Abstract:Hazmat emergency preparedness is critical, especially as Hong Kong prepares for major international events, such as the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Games. No published medical study has described the identities and quantities of dangerous goods (DG) in the Kowloon area and listed what antidotes are needed for these DG. This study describes what hazardous materials are most common in Kowloon to prioritise emergency preparedness and training. Materials & methods: Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study. Setting… Show more
“…5 Recent studies in 2008 have found that hazardous materials are present in many areas in Hong Kong and can be a threat to the health of Hong Kong residents if preparations are not adequate. 6,7 The role of emergency doctors in a CBRNE incident is essential in Hong Kong and many modern cities worldwide. 8,9 With special expertise and presumed responsibility, emergency doctors must possess not only the knowledge, but also the readiness, to handle a sudden event of potential mass destruction.…”
Background
Recent terrorist attacks with biological and chemical weapons have caused much concern for the public. The purpose of this study was to assess emergency doctors' preparedness in handling Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) incidents.
Methods
This is a cross sectional survey of all emergency doctors working in public emergency departments (ED) in Hong Kong. Apart from the experience and confidence to handle these events, data on participants' willingness to participate in CBRNE incidents and training motivations were also analysed.
Results
Biological and radiological events were found to be the least commonly encountered. Few respondents reported they were confident to manage biological events (10.6% to 29.8%), despite 66% of respondents reported having prior training in CBRNE management.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates ED doctors' low confidence in managing specific CBRNE incidents. Current strengths identified include the good awareness of hospital emergency plans and high motivation to get more training.
“…5 Recent studies in 2008 have found that hazardous materials are present in many areas in Hong Kong and can be a threat to the health of Hong Kong residents if preparations are not adequate. 6,7 The role of emergency doctors in a CBRNE incident is essential in Hong Kong and many modern cities worldwide. 8,9 With special expertise and presumed responsibility, emergency doctors must possess not only the knowledge, but also the readiness, to handle a sudden event of potential mass destruction.…”
Background
Recent terrorist attacks with biological and chemical weapons have caused much concern for the public. The purpose of this study was to assess emergency doctors' preparedness in handling Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) incidents.
Methods
This is a cross sectional survey of all emergency doctors working in public emergency departments (ED) in Hong Kong. Apart from the experience and confidence to handle these events, data on participants' willingness to participate in CBRNE incidents and training motivations were also analysed.
Results
Biological and radiological events were found to be the least commonly encountered. Few respondents reported they were confident to manage biological events (10.6% to 29.8%), despite 66% of respondents reported having prior training in CBRNE management.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates ED doctors' low confidence in managing specific CBRNE incidents. Current strengths identified include the good awareness of hospital emergency plans and high motivation to get more training.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.