Educating medical staff about responding to a radiological or nuclear emergency.
A growing body of audience research reveals medical personnel in hospitals are unprepared for a large-scale radiological emergency such as a terrorist event involving radioactive or nuclear materials. Also, medical personnel in hospitals lack a basic understanding of radiation principles, as well as diagnostic and treatment guidelines for radiation exposure. Clinicians have indicated that they lack sufficient training on radiological emergency preparedness; they are potentially unwilling to treat patients if those patients are perceived to be radiologically contaminated; and they have major concerns about public panic and overloading of clinical systems. In response to these findings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a tool kit for use by hospital medical personnel who may be called on to respond to unintentional or intentional mass-casualty radiological and nuclear events. This tool kit includes clinician fact sheets, a clinician pocket guide, a digital video disc (DVD) of just-in-time basic skills training, a CD-ROM training on mass-casualty management, and a satellite broadcast dealing with medical management of radiological events. CDC training information emphasizes the key role that medical health physicists can play in the education and support of emergency department activities following a radiological or nuclear mass-casualty event.
McCurley
M Carol
MC
Radiation Studies Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. cmo3@cdc.gov
Miller
Charles W
CW
Tucker
Florie E
FE
Guinn
Amy
A
Donnelly
Elizabeth
E
Ansari
Armin
A
Holcombe
Maire
M
Nemhauser
Jeffrey B
JB
Whitcomb
Robert C
RC
D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000193:education*; D004630:Emergencies; D006283:Health Physics / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D054043:Nuclear Weapons; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D011835:Radiation Protection; D023481:Terrorism; D014481:United States