The Effects of Social Networking on Disaster Communication Used by the Emergency Medical and Rescue Staff - The Case of the Van Earthquake

Abstract

Objective: In this study, the effectiveness and usage of social networking services used by The Emergency Medical & Rescue Staff are discussed in the case of the Van earthquake. Results: In total, 66.5% of participants stated that they had made use of social networking services to get information about the disaster area before going there when they were assigned for duty for the case of the Van earthquake. Participants used social networking services mostly to communicate with their colleagues working at the place of the incident to get information about climate conditions, socio-cultural organisms, and magnitude of the damage in the earthquake area. Also, 69.4% of participants stated that they shared information over the social networking systems related to the disaster area after their duties ended there. The experiences they gained in the disaster area and the risks they faced were the most frequently shared information. (JAEM 2014; 13: 58-61) Conclusion

Work-related Injuries Among Emergency Medical Technicians in Western Turkey

“…Nearly two-fifths of the MVAs were found to occur as two-vehicle collisions in this study. Studies published on the ambulance crashes so far have agreed that most MVAs occur in the crossroads as two-vehicle collisions whose outcomes are commonly mortal 5 8 They suggested that traffic signals be strictly heeded at crossroads and speed limits in urban settings be obeyed.…”

“…Motor vehicle accidents are known to constitute the most fatal cause of WRI for the personnel staffed in EMS 5 . Ambulance MVAs cause a death toll four times greater than that of other occupations 6 .…”

“…These vehicles are used to transfer the patient to the hospitals as well as for emergency care. 3,4 Chaotic working environment, unpredictability of the nature of "the next case," anxiety regarding difficulties in communication with patients and families, and extended stressful working hours lead to burnout and lower job satisfaction of health care personnel in EMS. This study was designed to investigate causes and characteristics of WRIs involving EMTs and paramedics staffed in a big city in Western Turkey.…”

The use of information and communication technology between emergency medical teams in emergency situations: A systematic review

“…Quantitative studies: Three studies were rated with a moderate risk of bias [25][26][27] and three were rated with low risk of bias [28][29][30].…”

“…Fifteen studies published between 2009 and 2021 were included in the review. Six studies had employed quantitative research methods [25][26][27][28][29][30], six had used qualitative research methods [31][32][33][34][35][36][37] and three had employed a mixed-methods approach [37][38][39]. The studies included in this review had been conducted in ten countries: Japan [25]; China [29,33], Iran [35,37]; Romania [26]; the US [31,32,35]; Canada [30,37]; the Republic of Ireland [28]; Turkey [27]; Australia [38] and the UK [39].…”