Abstract
Earthquakes are sudden-onset natural disasters that cause high rates of death, injury and disability, as well as significant material damage due to the collapse of buildings and accompanying structures. Common medical problems related to earthquakes include trauma-related injuries, infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases, and an increase in mental health problems. In severe earthquakes, initially there is little or no access to resources. In this case, disaster triage is applied to benefit the largest number of people with limited resources. Hospitals and emergency departments play a critical role in the treatment of injured people. In the first days after the earthquake, the primary aim is to manage traumatic injuries and prevent Crush Syndrome and organ failure secondary to trauma. In the following period, the main problems are the development of infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases and mental health problems, which take a significant part in emergency department visits. In order for all these processes to be carried out effectively, hospitals must have operational and effective hospital disaster plans. Emergency medicine specialists actively and effectively take part in both injured and patient care and administrative duties, starting from the disaster preparation processes of hospitals, during the disaster response phase and subsequent processes.
Translated title of the contribution | Emergency Department Organization in Earthquakes |
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Original language | Turkish |
Pages (from-to) | 378-383 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Community and Physician |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 5 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2023 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
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