Related Experiment Videos
Multiple information sources in the analysis of a disaster
Stephanie Barnhart1, Patrick M Cody, David E Hogan
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Integris Southwest Medical Center, Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
American Journal of Disaster Medicine
|April 22, 2009
Summary
Investigating disaster medical impacts requires accurate data. Public domain information, accessed via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, proves useful for epidemiologic studies of mass casualty events.
Area of Science:
- Disaster medicine
- Epidemiology
- Public health
Background:
- Accurate epidemiologic studies of disasters are hampered by poor record availability.
- Reliable denominator data is crucial for understanding disaster medical impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify available information sources for mass casualty disaster analysis.
- To assess the utility of these sources in epidemiologic evaluations.
- To describe characteristics of disaster-affected cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of an explosion and fire.
- Abstraction of medical records and public domain documents.
- Utilized Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for data acquisition.
Main Results:
- Seven case information sources were identified.
- Investigative agencies provided the most cases (33); medical records provided the fewest (18).
- Injury rate: 0.68, admission rate: 0.20, operative rate: 0.14; no deaths.
Conclusions:
- Public domain data is available and useful for disaster research.
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and agency partnerships can improve denominator data accuracy.
- Enhanced data collection aids epidemiologic evaluations of mass casualty incidents.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is essential for risk identification, action prioritization, and resource optimization in critical situations like flooding and earthquakes. By integrating spatial and demographic data, GIS provides a comprehensive framework for emergency response.GIS integrates data layers, like rainfall intensity, topography, elevation profiles, and river levels, to model high-risk flood zones. These layers assess areas susceptible to flooding based on their...
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
In the ever-evolving field of public health, statistical analysis serves as a cornerstone for understanding and managing disease outbreaks. By leveraging various statistical tools, health professionals can predict potential outbreaks, analyze ongoing situations, and devise effective responses to mitigate impact. For that to happen, there are a few possible stages of the analysis:
01:17Design Example: Analyzing Capacity Contours for Flood Risk Assessment
Flood risk assessment involves careful planning and analysis to ensure the safety of communities near water retention structures. Capacity contours are a vital tool in this process, as they illustrate the potential spread of water at specific levels in a given area. In the context of building a bund across a small valley, these contours play a critical role in evaluating the safety of nearby residential areas.In this example, the bund is intended to store stormwater in the valley. The engineers...
01:21Manipulation and Analysis
GIS manipulation and analysis functions are vital for decision-making and planning. These activities range from data retrieval tasks, such as selecting information based on specific criteria, to advanced analytical techniques that address complex spatial problems.One critical GIS analysis method is overlaying, which combines multiple data layers to examine impacts. For example, overlaying a river-dammed lake boundary with road networks can identify affected infrastructure. Another common...
01:23Investigation of Disease Outbreaks
Multistate foodborne outbreaks pose significant public health risks and require meticulous investigation to identify sources and implement control measures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) utilizes a dynamic seven-step process for these investigations, integrating data from laboratories, interviews, and environmental assessments to protect public health.Outbreak Detection: The detection of multistate outbreaks typically begins with PulseNet, the CDC's national laboratory...
01:08The Availability Heuristic
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):