The Importance of Educating First Responders

Educating health professionals, first responders, and the community about bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

T events of September 11, 2001, caused major changes in the lives of Americans, but the full meaning of that day— even as we approach its one-year anniversary—has perhaps not yet been realized. Clearly, the threat of terrorism in all its forms is real. In the medical community, the horrific attacks on New York City and Washington, DC; the thwarted attack on United Airlines Flight 93, which cras...

Resilience among first responders.

BACKGROUND Emergency rescue personnel can be considered a "high risk" occupational group in that they could experience a broad range of health and mental health consequences as a result of work-related exposures to critical incidents. OBJECTIVES This study examined the resilience factors that protect mental health among first responders. METHODS Nine hundred and sixty-one first responders f...

First aid skill retention of first responders within the workplace

BACKGROUND Recent literature states that many necessary skills of CPR and first aid are forgotten shortly after certification. The purpose of this study was to determine the skill and knowledge decay in first aid in those who are paid to respond to emergency situations within a workplace. METHODS Using a choking victim scenario, the sequence and accuracy of events were observed and recorded i...

The importance of educating postgraduate pediatric physicians about food allergy

BACKGROUND Food allergy is an increasing public health burden, and is considered among the most common chronic noncommunicable diseases in children. Proper diagnosis and management of food allergy by a health care provider is crucial in keeping affected children safe while simultaneously averting unnecessary avoidance. OBJECTIVE The rationale of the study was to estimate the knowledge of pedi...

VoiceLETS backs up first responders