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Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Feb 20;16(4). Epub 2019 Feb 20.

School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.

Flood disasters often have serious impacts on cities. Disaster prevention and mitigation schemes for flood disasters must be based on risk assessment. We constructed an indicator system for flood disaster risk assessment from the aspects of hazard factors, sensitivity to the environment, disaster vulnerability, flood disaster prevention, and resilience. Read More

Australas J Ageing 2019 Feb 21. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Centre for Emergency and Disaster Management, School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Objective: The aim was to explore the natural disaster preparedness strategies of Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs), focussing on aspects relevant to people with dementia.

Methods: An online survey was sent to 2617 RACF managers, with 416 responding. Questions included the following: (a) demographics; (b) presence and detail level of disaster/evacuation plans; and (c) references to people with dementia. Read More

Health Promot Pract 2019 Feb 17:1524839919826582. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Emergence of a novel infectious disease, such as pandemic influenza, is the one global crisis most likely to affect the greatest number of people worldwide. Because of the potentially severe and contagious nature of influenza, a rapid multifaceted pandemic response, which includes nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and effective strategies for communication with the public are essential for a timely response and mitigating the spread of disease. A web-based questionnaire was administered via email in July 2015 to 62 Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) directors across jurisdictions that receive funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention PHEP cooperative agreement. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2019 Feb 15;21(2):e12644. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.

Background: Over the past decade, clinical care has become globally dependent on information technology. The cybersecurity of health care information systems is now an essential component of safe, reliable, and effective health care delivery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to provide an overview of the literature at the intersection of cybersecurity and health care delivery. Read More

Nutr Clin Pract 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Nutrishare, Inc., Elk Grove, California, USA.

Natural disasters are most often weather related but can also be unrelated to weather. Either way, these disrupt "normal" life for a short or extended period of time. When someone depends on electricity, clean water, and transportation services for life-sustaining therapies such as home nutrition support, it is important to have a plan in place-even if it is never used. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Feb 5;16(3). Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Disaster Resilience Initiative, Accident Research Centre, Clayton, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia.

Identification and profiling of current and emerging disaster risks is essential to inform effective disaster risk management practice. Without clear evidence, readiness to accept future threats is low, resulting in decreased ability to detect and anticipate these new threats. A consequential decreased strategic planning for mitigation, adaptation or response results in a lowered resilience capacity. Read More

Int J Soc Psychiatry 2018 Dec;64(8):778-785

10 Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Natural and man-made disasters carry with them major burden and very often the focus is on immediate survival and management of resulting infectious diseases. The impact of disasters directly and indirectly on the well-being and mental health of those affected often gets ignored. The reasons are often stigma and lack of attention to mental health consequences. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2019 Feb 12;19(3). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.

Wuhan city is the biggest city in central China and has suffered subsidence problems in recent years because of its rapid urban construction. However, longtime and wide range monitoring of land subsidence is lacking. The causes of subsidence also require further study, such as natural conditions and human activities. Read More

Health Res Policy Syst 2019 Feb 11;17(1):18. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Physiology, Pharmacology/Toxicology, Division of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.

Background: Worldwide, natural disasters have caused a large number of deaths and considerable morbidity. Nevertheless, limited information is available on how the health-related literature on natural disasters has evolved. The current study aims to assess the growth and pattern of health-related literature on natural disasters. Read More

Accid Anal Prev 2019 Feb 6;125:106-115. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii, United States; National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, University of Hawaii, United States. Electronic address:

In spite of research and awareness of the hazards associated with handheld mobile device use while driving, many motorists continue to engage in this risky behavior. The mobile device use while driving has a detrimental effect on the operation of the vehicle. It contributes significantly to distraction which is a leading cause of accidents. Read More

Ambio 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, and African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa.

The intersecting challenges of urbanization, growing inequality, climate and environmental risk and economic sustainability require new modes of urban governance. Although the urban poor are increasingly recognized as needing to be part of climate adaptation planning and implementation, many governance arrangements fail to explicitly include them. In order to make climate governance more inclusive, transformative capacity is needed. Read More

Gerontology 2019 Feb 7:1-9. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

US Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center (VEMEC), North Hills, California, USA.

Background: Historically, older adults have been disproportionately affected by disasters. In particular, homebound adults are especially at risk. As one facet of bolstering community resilience, home health agencies have been tasked with improving their patients' disaster preparedness. Read More

J Res Health Sci 2018 Sep 22;18(4):e00427. Epub 2018 Sep 22.

Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Modeling in Health Research Center, Faculty of Health, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Background: Determining the epidemic threshold parameter helps health providers calculate the coverage while guiding them in planning the process of vaccination strategy. Since the trend and mechanism of influenza is very similar in different countries, we planned a study with the mentioned goal by using data of US from 2017 to 2018.

Study Design: A secondary study. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 Aug 7;15(8). Epub 2018 Aug 7.

UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Research Center for Health Services and Society, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA.

This manuscript presents the protocol and participatory planning process for implementing the Community Resilience Learning Collaborative and Research Network (C-LEARN) study. C-LEARN is designed to determine how to build a service program and individual client capacity to improve mental health-related quality of life among individuals at risk for depression, with exposure to social risk factors or concerns about environmental hazards in areas of Southern Louisiana at risk for events such as hurricanes and storms. The study uses a Community Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR) framework to incorporate community priorities into study design and implementation. Read More

Nature 2019 01;565(7741):536

JAMA Netw Open 2019 Jan 4;2(1):e187455. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Department of Innovative Research and Education for Clinicians and Trainees, Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Fukushima, Japan.

Importance: The association of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster of March 11 and 12, 2011, in Fukushima, Japan, with birth rates has not been examined appropriately in the existing literature.

Objective: To assess the midterm and long-term associations of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster with birth rates.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Cohort study in which interrupted time series analyses were used to assess monthly changes in birth rates among residents of Fukushima City, Japan, from March 1, 2011, to December 31, 2017, relative to projected birth rates without the disaster based on predisaster trends. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Jan 23;16(3). Epub 2019 Jan 23.

The University of Washington School of Public Health Department of Health Services, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

Disaster recovery provides an opportunity to build healthier and more resilient communities. However, opportunities and challenges encountered by local health departments (LHDs) when integrating health considerations into recovery have yet to be explored. Following Hurricane Harvey, 17 local health and emergency management officials from 10 agencies in impacted Texas, USA jurisdictions were interviewed to describe the types and level of LHD engagement in disaster recovery planning and implementation and the extent to which communities leveraged recovery to build healthier, more resilient communities. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 7;661:95-106. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address:

With the increasing expansion of cities associated with rapid urbanization, the ecological environment is being severely damaged, exposing cities to frequent extreme weather events. Urban ecological ecosystems are under great threat. Research on urban disaster resilience is conducive to a better understanding of disaster prevention and mitigation capacity, and provides valuable references for resilient city construction. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 Apr 11;221:543-553. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China; College of Water & Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, PR China. Electronic address:

Cobalt ion is an environmental contaminant in general. But interestingly, it can also be used to degrade some refractory organic contaminants in water by mediated electrochemical oxidation process (MEOP) based on Co (III). MEOP is a very promising technology, and it can recycling use the mediator ions, Co (III), to degrade refractory organic contaminants in water. Read More

Lasers Surg Med 2019 Jan 15. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, University Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Objectives: The osteo-odonto-kerato-prosthesis (OOKP) procedure is a complex, multi-stage, multidisciplinary surgical intervention for the treatment of severe corneal blindness. One step of the OOKP consists of creating a precise hole into a tooth in which an optic cylinder is subsequently inserted; its shape must ensure a perfect watertight fit. The Er: YAG laser (L) used in this study is part of CARLO®, the first laser osteotome that enables surgical planning based on computed tomography data, robot guidance, and a precise execution of laser cuts in teeth and bone tissue, using laser photoablation rather than conventional mechanical methods. Read More

Lancet 2019 01;393(10167):112-113

Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

BMC Public Health 2019 Jan 11;19(1):52. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.

Background: The likelihood of large-scale outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) is growing. MDRO outbreaks can affect a wide range of healthcare institutions. Control of such outbreaks requires structured collaboration between professionals from all involved healthcare institutions, but guidelines for cross-institutional procedures are, however, often missing. Read More

J Forensic Leg Med 2019 Jan 4;62:19-24. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Department of Anatomic, Hystologic, Orthopedic and Forensic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161, Roma, Italy.

Am J Disaster Med 2018 Summer;13(3):207-220

Professor of Emergency Medicine, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama.

Although disasters can affect anyone in a given community or region, those with access and functional needs have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality during an emergency or disaster. There are many unique and complex issues that should be considered when dealing with these individuals in a disaster situation. Who are these individuals, what specific issues should be addressed when considering these members of the population, and what recommendations can be made in order to address their unique needs? How can we include them as part of the all-hazard, comprehensive approach to disaster management? The first part of this three-part series identifies who is included in this population and what are the legal considerations that arise in caring for not only this unique group but also all of the members of the community in a disaster. Read More

Am J Disaster Med 2018 Summer;13(3):195-206

Professor of Emergency Medicine, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama.

Although disasters can affect anyone in a given community or region, those with access and functional needs have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality during an emergency or disaster. There are many unique and complex issues that should be considered when dealing with these individuals in a disaster situation. Who are these individuals, what specific issues should be addressed, and what recommendations can be made in order to address their unique needs? How can we include them as part of the all-hazard, comprehensive approach to disaster management? The first part of this three-part series identifies who is included in this population and what are the legal considerations that arise in caring for not only this unique group but also all of the members of the community in a disaster. Read More

Am J Disaster Med 2018 Summer;13(3):181-194

Director, Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, National Institute of Health (NHLBI), Bethesda, Maryland.

Intensive blood use is expected to occur at levels, which will overwhelm blood supplies as they exist with current capabilities and technologies, both in civilian mass casualty events and military battlefield trauma. New technologies are needed for trauma care, and specifically to provide safer, more effective, and more logistically supportable blood products to treat patients with, or at risk of developing, acquired bleeding disorders resulting from trauma, acute radiation exposure, or other causes. Three of the primary agencies with major research and development programs related to blood products, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute are uniquely positioned to partner in addressing these issues, which have significant implications for each respective agency, as well as for the US population. Read More

Am J Disaster Med 2018 Summer;13(3):169-179

Leader of Disaster Medicine Research (GIMC), Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina (DCBM), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal.

Introduction: A burn disaster is defined by a mass casualty involving a large number of severely burned victims. Several countries have been confronted with these mass casualties and have developed national burn practice guidelines. This study presents a comprehensive review of the literature related to the benefits and conditions required for the introduction of a burn plan and identify successful strategies in Europe to apply in Portugal. Read More

Am J Disaster Med 2018 Summer;13(3):153-160

Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, The University of Chicago, Comer Children's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.

Objective: Describe institutional disaster preparations focusing upon the strategies to address pediatric patients in disaster preparedness.

Design: Descriptive study using survey methodology.

Setting: Hospitals that provide emergency care to pediatric patients throughout the United States. Read More

Front Public Health 2018 21;6:373. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

SEA Consulting Group, Cape Charles, VA, United States.

Disasters are a recurring fact of life, and major incidents can have both immediate and long-lasting negative effects on the health and well-being of people, communities, and economies. A primary goal of many disaster preparedness, response, and recovery plans is to reduce the likelihood and severity of disaster impacts through increased resilience of individuals and communities. Unfortunately, most plans do not address directly major drivers of long-term disaster impacts on humans-that is, acute, chronic, and cumulative stress-and therefore do less to enhance resilience than they could. Read More

Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2019 Jan 10:1-12. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

3University of Zagreb,School of Medicine,Andrija Stampar School of Public Health,Zagreb,Croatia.

Disaster ethics is a developing field of inquiry recognizing the wide variety of ethical issues confronting various professionals involved in planning for and responding to different types of disasters. This article explores how ethical issues related to floods are addressed in academic literature. The review involved analysis of publications on ethics and floods identified in a systematic literature search of electronic databases that included sociological, biomedical, and geophysical sources. Read More

Disabil Rehabil 2019 Jan 7:1-8. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

a Interuniversity Centre for Health Economics Research , Vrije Universiteit Brussel , Brussels , Belgium.

Purpose: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in measuring and modeling health care utilization. However, only limited research has been performed in the field of health care utilization following road traffic accidents. This article aims to measure the incremental health care utilization after hospital discharge after a road traffic accident and explore the association between socio-demographic and injury-related variables and health care utilization. Read More

J R Army Med Corps 2019 Jan 5. Epub 2019 Jan 5.

Royal Navy, Portsmouth PO2 8DX, UK

Operation RUMAN was the UK response in the Autumn of 2017 to the Category 5 Hurricane IRMA, which affected the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. The Joint Operations Area (JOA) spanned an archipelago of Islands over 1000 nm across, stretching logistical and medical doctrinal clinical timelines in a rapidly changing and generally high risk medical environment. Despite significant challenges and a relatively suboptimal start line position, the Operation was a success from a medical perspective, with lower than expected dNBI rates. Read More

BMC Public Health 2019 Jan 3;19(1):11. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Background: The post-disaster mental health crisis intervention (MHCI) system in China remains immature and unsystematic. We aim to report the perceptions of a large sample of MHCI workers and government administrators and provide recommendations for developing a national mental health disaster response management plan in China.

Methods: An in-depth qualitative study was conducted, collecting data from 20 focus-group discussions and 25 key stakeholder interviews. Read More

Prehosp Disaster Med 2019 Jan 3:1-8. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

1Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation,Queensland University of Technology,Brisbane,Australia.

Background: In addition to the traditional logistics role, pharmacists are undertaking important new roles in disasters. Despite this, little is known about the level of acceptance of these activities by other providers.ProblemThe aim of this study was to determine the international opinion of disaster and health professionals regarding the emerging roles of pharmacists in disasters. Read More

Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2019 Jan 3:1-5. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

3Carolinas Healthcare System,Carolinas Medical Center,Department of Emergency Medicine,Charlotte,North Carolina.

Objective: Disability-related education is essential for disaster responders and critical care transporters to ensure positive patient outcomes. This pilot study evaluated the effect of an online educational intervention on disaster responders and critical care transporters' knowledge of and feelings of self-efficacy about caring for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Methods: A 1-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design was used. Read More

Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2019 Jan 2:1-2. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Department of Emergency Medicine,VieCuri Medical Center,Venlo,the Netherlands.

ABSTRACTHospital disaster resilience is often conceived as the ability to respond to external disasters. However, internal disasters appear to be more common events in hospitals than external events. This report describes the aftermath of a ceiling collapse in the emergency department of VieCuri Medical Center in Venlo, the Netherlands, on May 18, 2017. Read More

Burns 2018 Dec 28. Epub 2018 Dec 28.

Department of Emergency Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Purpose: To provide an insight into the challenges faced by the closest hospital to the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion (FFCDE) disaster scene, and to examine how the hospital staff adapted to cope with the mass burn casualty (MBC) in their overcrowded emergency department (ED) after the disaster.

Material And Methods: The critical incident technique was used for the investigation. Data was gathered through in-depth individual interviews with 15 key participants in this event. Read More

J Educ Health Promot 2018 27;7:142. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Medical and Surgical, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.

Background: Human resources are the most important tool in agility of organization and is considered to be the most valuable asset of any organization. Agile emergency system can reduce production costs, increase market share, fulfill the needs of patients, and most importantly, it reduced the mortality and morbidity from diseases and crashes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of human resource agility with performance of the staff of Tehran Emergency Center (TEC). Read More

AORN J 2019 Jan;109(1):95-103

Terrorist attacks, mass shootings, violent crimes, and other disasters may leave those affected feeling afraid and overwhelmed with emotion. It has been more than 17 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City killed almost 3,000 people. Since that time, the world has experienced a profuse number of mass casualty events; they are becoming commonplace and a risk that everyone recognizes as part of daily life. Read More

Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi 2018 ;65(12):755-768

Prehosp Disaster Med 2018 Dec 27:1-10. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

1Department of Emergency Medicine,University of British Columbia,Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada.

IntroductionMusic festivals are globally attended events that bring together performers and fans for a defined period of time. These festivals often have on-site medical care to help reduce the impact on local health care systems. Historically, the literature suggests that patient transfers off-site are frequently related to complications of substance use. Read More

Osong Public Health Res Perspect 2018 Dec;9(6):314-324

Department of Research Planning, Mental Health Research Institute, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Korea.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze research and development projects in mental health services in Korea, using priority evaluation of mental health promotion policies to determine direction of the service.

Methods: An online survey was conducted that targeted experts in the mental health service regarding promotion of mental health in Korea in 2016. The survey was based on 32 policy projects that resulted from 12 strategies according to 4 policy objectives. Read More

J Occup Med Toxicol 2018 17;13:38. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

2Michigan State University Extension, East Lansing, USA.

Waste Manag Res 2019 Mar 17;37(3):247-260. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

3 Ministry of Environment, Japan.

Millions of tons of debris can be generated by natural disasters, impacting the surrounding environment and posing health risks to the public. Proper handling and treatment of such waste is essential to overcome potential hazards as well as to reduce the burden on natural resources during the reconstruction phase. Disaster waste management can have social, economic, and environmental benefits if planned effectively. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Mar 13;191:60-68. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi, India.

Climate change is considered as a distal determinant of public health which is increasing in importance. India, as an example, has a national action plan for climate change and human health. Sub-national (State) plans for climate change also exist, taking into account the health sector. Read More

Nurse Educ Today 2019 Feb 6;73:88-93. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Background: Nurses play an important role in helping people to cope with disasters. Dealing with disasters requires proper knowledge, attitudes and skills that can be achieved through education. Education through virtual social networks as a method of distance education can be used due to its accessibility and ease of use. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 13;8(1):17815. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Teachers Education University, 175 Mingxiu East St., Nanning, 530001, China.

Recognition and classification of road-related landslides are a critical requirement in pre- and post-disaster hazard analysis. They are primarily done through field mapping or manual image interpretation from commercial satellites images. This paper developed a Normalized Difference Road Landside Index (NDRLI)-based method to delineate road-induced landslides and enhance their presence in remotely sensed digital imagery based on free Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) sources. Read More

N Z Med J 2018 Dec 14;131(1487):54-69. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Professor of Public Health, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington.

Background: The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic has been New Zealand's most severe disaster event (around 9,000 deaths). We aimed to review the literature related to this pandemic in New Zealand and among New Zealanders overseas, to identify any remaining research gaps (given ongoing risks of future influenza pandemics and from new pathogens, eg, synthetic bioweapons).

Methods: Systematic literature searches and comparisons with international findings for this pandemic to facilitate identification of research gaps. Read More