Preparedness of Finnish Emergency Medical Services for Chemical Emergencies

Abstract

IntroductionThe preparedness level of Finnish Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for treating chemical emergencies is unknown. The aim of this study was to survey the preparedness level of EMS systems for managing and handling mass-casualty chemical incidents in the prehospital phase in Finland.HypothesisThe study hypothesis was that university hospital districts would have better clinical capability to treat patients than would central hospital districts in terms of the number of patients treated in the field within one hour after dispatching as well as patients transported to hospital within one hour or two hours after dispatching.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted as a Webropol (Wuppertal, Germany) survey. All hospital districts (n=20) in continental Finland were asked about their EMS preparedness level in terms of capability of treating and transporting chemically affected patients in the field. Their capability for decontamination of affected patients in the field was also inquired.ResultsUniversity hospital district-based EMS systems had at least 20% better absolute clinical capacity than central hospital-based EMS systems for treating chemically affected patients concerning all treatments inquired about, except the capacity for non-invasive ventilation (NIV)/continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment in the field. Overall, there was a good level of preparedness for treating chemical accident patients with supplemental oxygen, bronchodilators, and inhaled corticosteroids. Preparedness for providing antidote therapy in cases of cyanide gas exposure was, in general, low. The variation among the hospital districts was remarkable. Only nine of 15 central hospital district EMS had a mobile decontamination unit available, whereas four of five university hospital districts had one.ConclusionEmergency Medical Services capacity in Finland for treating chemically affected patients in the field needs to be improved, especially in terms of antidote therapy. Mobile decontamination units should be available in all hospital districts.JamaTJ, KuismaMJ. Preparedness of Finnish Emergency Medical Services for chemical emergencies. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(4):392–396.

Emergency management and internal audit of emergency preparedness of pre-hospital emergency care

“…In the second direction, a number of papers focusing on the preparation of solutions to a specific emergency event are published, and the overall preparedness of the emergency medical service system assessed, possibly in connection with urgent hospital care. The study of Jama and Kuisma ( 2016 ), which maps out the level of preparedness of the EMS for chemical incidents associated with mass impacts on health or persons, can be stated as an example. This study assesses co-operation between the EMS and hospitals during the transport of exposed patients and the provision of means of decontamination.…”

Does Gender Influence Physiological Tolerance in Resuscitators When Using Personal Protection Equipment against Biological Hazards?

“…Emergency services must contemplate within their competency-based curricular design, handling incidents involving biological hazards, including acts of God or resulting from terrorist acts [ 8 – 10 ]. In general terms, we can state that the use of biohazard PPE is especially hard and arduous for workers, imposing a burden of extra physiological stress during the intervention.…”

Harmonising the Training of Students Within the Eu to Implement Intervention Programmes to Protect the Public in the Aftermath of a Hazmat Incident

“…This will be particularly critical for medical and health care professionals, although there is very little specific training available for them to respond to these types of events within the European Union (EU) as reported elsewhere [2]. Because of this, several measures are being undertaken to address this gap or improve the already emergency preparedness and capacity to respond to CBRN/HazMat incidents, and this will be particularly necessary in hospitals as they will be one of the first and main responders against any CBRN emergency [3].…”

“…This is, for example, the case of Finland, in which Jama et al (2016) [2] have pointed out that some specific hospitals in Finland would have a better clinical capacity than others after studying 20 hospital districts. Mortelmans et al (2014) have also reported gaps in hospital preparedness in the aftermath of a terrorist attack or accidental event involving CBRN substances [3].…”