Survey Study of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Expected Behaviors of Critical Care Clinicians Regarding an Influenza Pandemic

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1143-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Daugherty ◽  
Trish M. Perl ◽  
Lewis Rubinson ◽  
Andrew Bilderback ◽  
Cynthia S. Rand

Objective.Intensive care units (ICUs) are potential high-risk areas for the transmission of respiratory viruses such as influenza. An influenza pandemic is expected to result in a dramatic surge of critically ill patients, and ICU healthcare workers (HCW) are likely to be at high risk of infection.Objective.To characterize the knowledge, attitudes, and expected behaviors of ICU HCWs concerning the risk of and response to an influenza pandemic.Design, Participants, and Setting.A survey was distributed to 292 HCWs (ie, internal medicine house staff, pulmonary and critical care fellows and faculty members, nurses, and respiratory care professionals) at 2 hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland.Results.Of the 292 HCWs, 256 (88%) completed the survey. Just over one-half of the respondents believed there is at least a 45% chance of an influenza pandemic within the next 5 years. However, only 41% reported knowing how to protect themselves during an outbreak. Despite this common belief that a pandemic is likely in the near future, 59% of those surveyed reported only minimal knowledge of the risks of and protective strategies for an influenza pandemic, and 20% reported being unlikely to report to work during a pandemic or being unsure about whether they would do so. The odds of reporting to work varied on the basis of race and responsibility for child care.Conclusions.ICU HCWs reported having minimal knowledge concerning the risk of and response to an influenza pandemic, even though more that one-half of HCWs expect that a pandemic will occur in the near future. This finding in a high-risk setting is of concern, given that lack of knowledge among HCWs may result in increased nosocomial transmission to HCWs and patients. Interventions to improve knowledge of pandemics and understanding of risks among ICU HCWs are essential.

Author(s):  
Izumi Yoshida ◽  
Akihiko Ozaki ◽  
Tomohiro Morita ◽  
Masaharu Tsubokura ◽  
Masahiro Kami

Abstract Objective: Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on October 12, 2019. This study documents and characterizes deaths caused by Hagibis and helps identify strategies to reduce mortality in future disasters. Methods: Japanese residents, who were killed by Typhoon Hagibis, as reported by Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, were considered for the study. Details were collected from mainstream Japanese media, and flooding data from hazard maps published by local municipalities. Results: Out of the 99 total fatalities, 65 (73.0%) were aged 65 years or above. Among those who drowned indoors (20), 18 (90.0%) lived in high-risk areas of flooding, and their bodies were found on the first floor of their residences. A total of 10 (55.6%) out of the 18 fatalities lived in homes with 2 or more floors, indicating that they could have moved upstairs to avoid the floodwater. However, 6 (33.3%) could not do so due to existing health issues. Conclusions: Relatively elderly people, particularly those in areas at high risk of flooding, were most affected. Seeking higher ground is a standard safety measure in times of flooding, but this may not be possible for everyone depending on their health status, structure of their residence, and the depth of floodwaters.


2001 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32
Author(s):  
L.D. Alblas

AbstractThe setting and possible future of the petroleum industry in the Netherlands is briefly discussed. The result of a risk assessment shows, that the Dutch hydrocarbon province can be divided in low, medium, high and very high-risk areas for new capital investments. The assets of operators in the Netherlands have been evaluated on exploration, production, storage and pipeline potential, now and in the future. Despite the presence of potential new plays, exploration activities are expected to decrease in the near future. Despite the possible development of marginal fields, which will be not adding major reserves, the production reserves will decrease in the next 10–15 years and many fields will be abandoned. However storage, pipeline infrastructure and gas marketing are expected to increase in the future, mainly because of the liberalisation of the Dutch gas market.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 826
Author(s):  
Meiling Zhou ◽  
Xiuli Feng ◽  
Kaikai Liu ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Lijian Xie ◽  
...  

Influenced by climate change, extreme weather events occur frequently, and bring huge impacts to urban areas, including urban waterlogging. Conducting risk assessments of urban waterlogging is a critical step to diagnose problems, improve infrastructure and achieve sustainable development facing extreme weathers. This study takes Ningbo, a typical coastal city in the Yangtze River Delta, as an example to conduct a risk assessment of urban waterlogging with high-resolution remote sensing images and high-precision digital elevation models to further analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of waterlogging risk. Results indicate that waterlogging risk in the city proper of Ningbo is mainly low risk, accounting for 36.9%. The higher-risk and medium-risk areas have the same proportions, accounting for 18.7%. They are followed by the lower-risk and high-risk areas, accounting for 15.5% and 9.6%, respectively. In terms of space, waterlogging risk in the city proper of Ningbo is high in the south and low in the north. The high-risk area is mainly located to the west of Jiangdong district and the middle of Haishu district. The low-risk area is mainly distributed in the north of Jiangbei district. These results are consistent with the historical situation of waterlogging in Ningbo, which prove the effectiveness of the risk assessment model and provide an important reference for the government to prevent and mitigate waterlogging. The optimized risk assessment model is also of importance for waterlogging risk assessments in coastal cities. Based on this model, the waterlogging risk of coastal cities can be quickly assessed, combining with local characteristics, which will help improve the city’s capability of responding to waterlogging disasters and reduce socio-economic loss.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 237802312098032
Author(s):  
Brandon G. Wagner ◽  
Kate H. Choi ◽  
Philip N. Cohen

In the social upheaval arising from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we do not yet know how union formation, particularly marriage, has been affected. Using administration records—marriage certificates and applications—gathered from settings representing a variety of COVID-19 experiences in the United States, the authors compare counts of recorded marriages in 2020 against those from the same period in 2019. There is a dramatic decrease in year-to-date cumulative marriages in 2020 compared with 2019 in each case. Similar patterns are observed for the Seattle metropolitan area when analyzing the cumulative number of marriage applications, a leading indicator of marriages in the near future. Year-to-date declines in marriage are unlikely to be due solely to closure of government agencies that administer marriage certification or reporting delays. Together, these findings suggest that marriage has declined during the COVID-19 outbreak and may continue to do so, at least in the short term.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s258-s258
Author(s):  
Madhuri Tirumandas ◽  
Theresa Madaline ◽  
Gregory David Weston ◽  
Ruchika Jain ◽  
Jamie Figueredo

Background: Although central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in US hospitals have improved in the last decade, ~30,100 CLABSIs occur annually.1,2 Central venous catheters (CVC) carry a high risk of infections and should be limited to appropriate clinical indications.6,7 Montefiore Medical Center, a large, urban, academic medical center in the Bronx, serves a high-risk population with multiple comobidities.8–11 Despite this, the critical care medicine (CCM) team is often consulted to place a CVC when a peripheral intravenous line (PIV) cannot be obtained by nurses or primary providers. We evaluated the volume of CCM consultation requests for avoidable CVCs and related CLABSIs. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for patients with CCM consultation requests for CVC placement between July and October 2019. The indication for CVC, type of catheter inserted or recommended, and NHSN data were used to identify CLABSIs. CVCs were considered avoidable if a PIV was used for the stated indication and duration of therapy, with no anatomical contraindications to PIV in nonemergencies, according to the Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters (MAGIC).6Results: Of 229 total CCM consults, 4 (18%) requests were for CVC placement; 21 consultations (9%) were requested for avoidable CVCs. Of 40 CVC requests, 18 (45%) resulted in CVC placement by the CCM team, 4 (10%) were deferred for nonurgent PICC by interventional radiology, and 18 (45%) were deferred in favor of PIV or no IV. Indications for CVC insertion included emergent chemotherapy (n = 8, 44%) and dialysis (n = 3, 16%), vasopressors (n = 3, 16%), antibiotics (n = 2, 11%) and blood transfusion (n = 2, 11%). Of 18 CVCs, 9 (50%) were potentially avoidable: 2 short-term antibiotics and rest for nonemergent indications; 2 blood transfusions, 1 dialysis, 2 chemotherapy and 2 vasopressors. Between July and October 2019, 6 CLABSIs occurred in CVCs placed by the CCM team; in 3 of 6 CLABSI events (50%), the CVC was avoidable. Conclusions: More than half of consultation requests to the CCM team for CVCs are avoidable, and they disproportionately contribute to CLABSI events. Alternatives for intravenous access could potentially avoid 9% of CCM consultations and 50% of CLABSIs in CCM-inserted CVCs on medical-surgical wards.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingsong Lin ◽  
Yukari Totsuka ◽  
Baoen Shan ◽  
Chaochen Wang ◽  
Wenqiang Wei ◽  
...  

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