Earthquakes and rehabilitation needs: experiences from Bam, Iran.
BACKGROUND
In December 2003, a devastating earthquake destroyed Bam and surrounding areas in Iran, leaving many people with residual deficits and disabilities, of which approximately 240 patients had spinal cord injury (SCI).


METHODS
As an independent volunteer working in outpatient clinics, I visited the patients as part of a mobile team and set up a short educational course in spinal cord medicine.


RESULTS
I visited 34 patients with SCI in the first 3 months. Eight months after the disaster, I visited 54 patients with SCI, 29 female (53.7%) and 25 male (46.3%). Postdisaster problems were identified, including need for accurate data collection, identification of patients' conditions, attention paid to psychosocial issues, ethical dilemmas, and research needs.


CONCLUSIONS
Disaster preparedness for earthquakes should include first aid and injury prevention, coordination of relief efforts, basic education and medical care, and short-and long-term rehabilitation needs. The major focus of rehabilitation medicine specialists' should be education of the general and professional population toward integrating the concept of rehabilitation.
Raissi
Gholam Reza
GR
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. grezaraissi@yahoo.com
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004190:Disasters; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy