Doctors and nurses who work in U.S. emergency rooms have doubts about the ability of hospitals to deal with the aftermath of an act of radiological terrorism, the American Medical Association announced yesterday (see GSN, March 28).
Emergency medicine providers met in 10 focus groups in the southeast, northeast and west to consider the aftermath of the detonation of a “dirty bomb” or a similar incident. They agreed that there was insufficient readiness among health-care providers, emergency rooms and hospitals to provide the necessary care for victims of such an attack, according to a study in the AMA journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.
Participants identified a number of worries, including being faced with a flood of victims, lack of an adequate number of staffers to provide treatment, possible dangers to hospital workers, and the need for more knowledge on radiation safety and treatment.
“The study has clear implications for medical preparedness and response,” lead author Steven Becker, vice chairman of the Environmental Health Sciences Department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a press release. “There is a need for increased information and training on managing radiological events, protecting staff, and treating affected patients. Likewise, there is a need for increased access to informational resources, such as specialized professional hot lines, pocket guides, posters and toolkits. In addition, physicians' and nurses' concerns for loved ones need to be better taken into account in preparedness planning to prevent a potential shortage of health care providers” (American Medical Association release, Oct. 13).