Readiness for Radiological and Nuclear Events among Emergency Medical Personnel

Abstract

Background: Among medical providers, even though radiological and nuclear events are recognized as credible threats, there is a lack of knowledge and fear about the medical consequences among medical personnel which could significantly affect the treatment of patients injured and/or contaminated in such scenarios. This study was conducted to evaluate the relative knowledge, willingness to respond, and familiarity with nuclear/radiological contamination risks among U.S. and Japanese emergency medical personnel.Methods: An institutional review board-approved anonymous paper survey was distributed at various medical and disaster conferences and medicine courses in Japan and in the U.S. The surveys were written in Japanese and English and collected information on the following four categories: generalized demographics, willingness to manage, knowledge of disaster systems, and contamination risks.results: A total of 418 surveys were completed and collected. Demographics showed that physicians and prehospital responders were the prevalent survey responders. The majority of responders, despite self-professed disaster training, were still very uncomfortable with and unaware how to respond to a radiological/nuclear event.conclusion: Despite some educational coverage in courses and a limited number of disaster events, it is concluded that there is a lack of comfort and knowledge regarding nuclear and radiological events among the medical community. It is recommended that considerable development and subsequent distribution is needed to better educate and prepare the medical community for inevitable upcoming radiological/nuclear events.

Emergency Department Preparedness of Hospitals for Radiation, Nuclear Accidents, and Nuclear Terrorism: A Qualitative Study in Iran

“…At the time of the accident, emergency department staff are worried about their families and loved ones, which causes them not to have enough focus on caring for the injured (6,11,12). Experts stated that the staff should be able to communicate with their families either face-to-face or by phone, and be aware of their conditions; thus, they can perform their duties properly.…”

“…The formation of rapid reaction teams that are already coordinated is very effective in encountering these accidents. The hospital crisis committee should hold constant systematic training courses on radiation and nuclear accidents for all emergency department staff (6,(15)(16)(17). Training and exercise were the most frequent factors expressed by the specialists to improve the readiness, which indicate the great importance of these two factors in preparedness.…”

“…Radiation detectors such as Geiger-Muller counters, scintillation counters, personal dosimeters, and personal protective equipment should be available in emergency departments. In addition, the whole emergency depart-ment staff should be trained to wear the PPE properly (6,22,23). The amount of radiation received by the person is quickly measured with detectors and treatment is prioritized according to the amount of radiation received.…”

“…The amount of radiation received by the person is quickly measured with detectors and treatment is prioritized according to the amount of radiation received. The required drugs and chelating agents in emergency departments should be available in advance because the immediate treatment of the injured individuals is in high priority (4,6,20,24). Many experts emphasized the process of decontamination and self-protection.…”

“…From the moral perspective, functional roles in complex situations such as radiation accidents should be understood well by doctors and nurses (5). Studies show that awareness in response to radiation accidents is very weak in the medical community, and they are much worried about dealing with these patients (6). Holding exercises and educational programs for the staff is an appropriate response to these accidents (7).…”