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Ciottone's Disaster Medicine
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. -, No. -, p. 1, 2016 Copyright Ó 2016 Elsevier Inc. Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0736-4679/$ - see front matter
Book and Other Media Review , Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine, Second Edition. Ciottone GR, Biddinger PD, Darling RG, Keim MK, Molloy MS, and Suner S. Philadelphia, Elsevier, 2016, 1013 pages, $128.99. (An Expert Consult ebook).
disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes. Although this may be the wave of the future with regard to disaster medicine, it seems to be reflective of human ignorance and self-destruction. I was surprised at the few pages dedicated to pediatric populations and Functional Access Needs (previously called Special Needs or disabilities). This has always been a difficult problem for me during disasters. What do you do with infants and children who have been separated from their parents and how do you handle service animals and oxygen concentrators in a shelter? I did enjoy the chapter on Patient-Tracking Systems. The current electronic health record system used by DMATs is abysmal. I liked the paper system and the idea of using bar codes to track victims. I spend 5 min seeing a patient and 20 min trying to enter the information in a bank of computers that take up more space and energy than the entire drug cache. The information concerning terrorist events is certainly timely and important, and something that should be familiar to all first responders and disaster teams. In summary, this is an encyclopedic collection of disaster topics written by experts. I feel that it would be best used as a textbook for a course or fellowship in disaster medicine rather than something to put into your rucksack while responding to a hurricane. Perhaps it could be downloaded to a tablet via the Expert Consult eBook. There is an abundance of historical material that is invaluable for disaster responders. After Action Reports is the lifeblood of planning. I learned a long time ago that ‘‘good judgment is based on experience and experience is based on bad judgment.’’ This book is the ideal reference for trainers, planners, and anyone who will be involved in a disaster, and the way things are going that includes all of us.
‘‘Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.’’ Will Durant ‘‘. disasters are defined by what they do to people, otherwise they are simply interesting geological or meteorological phenomena.’’ Eric Noji
Disasters have always been a part of human civilization, and even if human disasters can be prevented, natural disasters will continue to occur. In the past we prayed for deliverance and went on as best we could. With the development of Emergency Medicine and emergency medical services systems in the 1970s, it was shown that with proper preparation, planning, and response, some disasters could be mitigated and possibly even prevented. I have had the privilege of serving as Chief Medical Officer for a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) for the past 25 years, and although all disasters are similar in certain ways, they are also all different. Due to the complexity of disaster planning and response, a comprehensive textbook for use by DMATs and other international disaster teams is a necessity. Dr. Ciottone and his 270 international contributors and editors have produced an immense work of 17 sections and 205 chapters that cover everything from public health disasters to VIP care. Each chapter is organized by 1) historical perspective (a necessary component of disaster work; knowing the past mistakes can eliminate future ones); 2) current practice; and 3) pitfalls. The pitfalls section summarizes some of the common problems that occur with that particular topic. All chapters have pertinent references and selected readings. A large section of the text (610 pages) is devoted to specific human-instigated events such as nuclear disasters, biological pandemics, chemical and explosive attacks by terrorists, and transportation accidents. Only 50 pages address the problem of natural
Edward J. Otten, MD, FACMT, FAWM Professor of Emergency and Pediatrics Director, Division of Toxicology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2016.01.001
1
Book and Other Media Review , Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine, Second Edition. Ciottone GR, Biddinger PD, Darling RG, Keim MK, Molloy MS, and Suner S. Philadelphia, Elsevier, 2016, 1013 pages, $128.99. (An Expert Consult ebook).
disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes. Although this may be the wave of the future with regard to disaster medicine, it seems to be reflective of human ignorance and self-destruction. I was surprised at the few pages dedicated to pediatric populations and Functional Access Needs (previously called Special Needs or disabilities). This has always been a difficult problem for me during disasters. What do you do with infants and children who have been separated from their parents and how do you handle service animals and oxygen concentrators in a shelter? I did enjoy the chapter on Patient-Tracking Systems. The current electronic health record system used by DMATs is abysmal. I liked the paper system and the idea of using bar codes to track victims. I spend 5 min seeing a patient and 20 min trying to enter the information in a bank of computers that take up more space and energy than the entire drug cache. The information concerning terrorist events is certainly timely and important, and something that should be familiar to all first responders and disaster teams. In summary, this is an encyclopedic collection of disaster topics written by experts. I feel that it would be best used as a textbook for a course or fellowship in disaster medicine rather than something to put into your rucksack while responding to a hurricane. Perhaps it could be downloaded to a tablet via the Expert Consult eBook. There is an abundance of historical material that is invaluable for disaster responders. After Action Reports is the lifeblood of planning. I learned a long time ago that ‘‘good judgment is based on experience and experience is based on bad judgment.’’ This book is the ideal reference for trainers, planners, and anyone who will be involved in a disaster, and the way things are going that includes all of us.
‘‘Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.’’ Will Durant ‘‘. disasters are defined by what they do to people, otherwise they are simply interesting geological or meteorological phenomena.’’ Eric Noji
Disasters have always been a part of human civilization, and even if human disasters can be prevented, natural disasters will continue to occur. In the past we prayed for deliverance and went on as best we could. With the development of Emergency Medicine and emergency medical services systems in the 1970s, it was shown that with proper preparation, planning, and response, some disasters could be mitigated and possibly even prevented. I have had the privilege of serving as Chief Medical Officer for a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) for the past 25 years, and although all disasters are similar in certain ways, they are also all different. Due to the complexity of disaster planning and response, a comprehensive textbook for use by DMATs and other international disaster teams is a necessity. Dr. Ciottone and his 270 international contributors and editors have produced an immense work of 17 sections and 205 chapters that cover everything from public health disasters to VIP care. Each chapter is organized by 1) historical perspective (a necessary component of disaster work; knowing the past mistakes can eliminate future ones); 2) current practice; and 3) pitfalls. The pitfalls section summarizes some of the common problems that occur with that particular topic. All chapters have pertinent references and selected readings. A large section of the text (610 pages) is devoted to specific human-instigated events such as nuclear disasters, biological pandemics, chemical and explosive attacks by terrorists, and transportation accidents. Only 50 pages address the problem of natural
Edward J. Otten, MD, FACMT, FAWM Professor of Emergency and Pediatrics Director, Division of Toxicology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2016.01.001
1