Many hospitals in the northwest of England are ill-prepared to deal with a major chemical incident. According to a survey published in the online open access journal BMC Emergency Medicine. Two out of 18 hospitals in the region had not written a chemical emergency plan and three A&E departments did not have any staff trained in chemical decontamination.
“It is alarming that two departments lacked a written plan for chemical incidents and a further nine could not access theirs at the time of interview,” notes Mr Darren Walter, who led the research team from the University Hospital of South Manchester. “There could be delays or even failures in contacting appropriate personnel from within and outside the hospital in the majority of hospitals, leading to substandard handling of patients, possibly with unnecessary risks to staff.”
Since October 2005 all UK emergency departments are required by law to provide and maintain chemical decontamination facilities. The survey revealed that whilst all of the Northwest's 18 emergency departments had a designated decontamination area, it was questionable whether some departments could respond appropriately during a chemical incident.
Around 1300 chemical incidents occur in the UK each year, most involving fewer than 10 casualties.
In face-to-face interviews, only 11 of 18 Nurse Managers (or a nominated deputy) said they felt their department had an adequately equipped decontamination area. For example, although three-quarters of departments had systems to trap water (containing potentially toxic or radioactive substances), 60% had capacity for less than one hour before effluent could enter the regular waste water network.
Only nine departments felt they could maintain patient dignity during decontamination procedures, mostly by using screens.
The study authors call for national guidelines on decontamination facilities and procedures. “There are major gaps in the preparedness of Northwest hospitals for chemical incidents,” says Walter. “Until standards are set and enforced it is likely that these inconsistencies will remain.”
Source: BioMed Central
Related stories:
Researchers Isolate Microorganisms That Convert Hydrocarbons to Natural Gas
(PhysOrg.com) -- When a group of University of Oklahoma researchers began studying the environmental fate of spilt petroleum, a problem that has plagued the energy industry for decades, they did not expect to eventually isolate a community of microorganisms capable of converting hydrocarbons into natural gas.
Make your own microfluidic device with new kit from U-M
A type of device called a "lab-on-a-chip" could bring a new generation of instant home tests for illnesses, food contaminants and toxic gases. But today these portable, efficient tools are often stuck in the lab themselves. Specifically, in the labs of researchers who know how to make them from scratch.
Biofilms use chemical weapons
Bacteria rarely come as loners; more often they grow in crowds and squat on surfaces where they form a community together. These so-called biofilms develop on any surface that bacteria can attach themselves to. The dilemma we face is that neither disinfectants and antibiotics, nor phagocytes and our immune system can destroy these biofilms. This is a particular problem in hospitals if these bacteria form a community on a catheter or implant where they could potentially cause a serious infection.
Cancer cells revert to normal at specific signal threshold, researchers find
Cancer starts when key cellular signals run amok, driving uncontrolled cell growth. But scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine report that lowering levels of one cancer signal under a specific threshold reverses this process in mice, returning tumor cells to their normal, healthy state. The finding could help target cancer chemotherapy to tumors while minimizing side effects for the body's healthy cells.
Pitt receives $2.5 million to simulate and analyze brain, immune system activity
Models of how systems evolve and function under certain conditions could lead to better medical understanding of when and how to treat patients
In an effort to promote the application of mathematics to medical treatment, researchers in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Mathematics will undertake a $2.5 million project to create models of how the brain and immune system function and change over time in response to certain illnesses, infections, and treatment. The models are intended to help doctors better understand and predict the possible short- and long-term responses of their patient's body to treatment.
Engineer develops detergent to promote peripheral nerve healing
A detergent solution developed at The University of Texas at Austin that treats donor nerve grafts to circumvent an immune rejection response has been used to create acellular nerve grafts now used successfully in hospitals around the country. Research also shows early promise of the detergent solution having possible applications in spinal cord repair.
Scientists Automate Molecular Evolution
Under the control of a computer at The Scripps Research Institute, a population of billions of genes morphed through 500 cycles of forced adaptation to emerge as molecules that could grow faster and faster on a continually dwindling source of chemical fuel -- a feat that researchers describe as an example of "Darwinian evolution on a chip."
'Crime Scene Investigation' methods could help in the battle against hospital infections
Inspired by the popular television drama CSI, investigators in the Netherlands have trialed methods used by forensic scientists at crime scenes to highlight infection risks in their hospital. Researchers at Deventer Hospital used Luminol, a chemical used by crime scene investigators, to detect traces of blood in their haemodialysis unit.