Despite EMT standards and extensive literature evidence describing the essential role of rehabilitation in promoting health outcomes and maximizing functional independence, to our knowledge, rehabilitation is under-resourced and under-utilized in the Gaza EMT responses. UK-Med’s Type 2 EMT Hospital in Al-Mawasi Khan Younis, Gaza includes rehabilitation services (Type 2 Gaza EMT).

Describe the clinical presentations and rehabilitation needs of people accessing the Type 2 Gaza EMT.

Describe the type of rehabilitation activities and their impact on functional independence in the Type 2 Gaza EMT.

This research is informed by the quantitative clinical documentation and data systematically collected via clinical records for all people accessing rehabilitation services in the Type 2 Gaza EMT from April to October 2024.

This research will share detailed data and statistical analyses of all people that participated in rehabilitation in the Type 2 Gaza EMT from April to October 2024, anticipated to be over 100 people. Analyses will share the following: 1. Clinical presentations including distribution across 10 categories of life-changing injuries, 2. Frequency and type of rehabilitation needs, 3. The rehabilitation interventions provided with distribution across over 40 different types, and 4. Impact of rehabilitation on functional independence objectively analyzed through the Barthel Index and Pain Interference Score.

As rehabilitation is under-resourced in the Gaza EMT response, it’s important to understand the evidence of the Type 2 Gaza EMT on needs and the impact so as to catalyze rehabilitation activities in Gaza and future EMT global responses.

Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents pose increasing transborder risks globally, necessitating enhanced health sector preparedness.

This study aimed to develop a comprehensive CBRN preparedness assessment tool (PAT), operational response guidelines (ORG), and tabletop simulation scenarios for the health sectors of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

A mixed-methods approach comprised a systematic review of the literature up to 2022 in English and French, modified expert interviews (MIM), and an online Delphi questionnaire. Content analysis was performed on interview data. Using R-Studio™, consensus metrics and artificial intelligence techniques, including natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and unsupervised machine learning (ML) clustering algorithms, were deployed for advanced data analysis across all phases.

The literature review identified 63 relevant studies illustrating various preparedness strategies. The MIM’s thematic analysis, reinforced by AI-driven content analysis, emphasized the need for stronger inter-regional cooperation facilitated by organizations such as WHO and standardized tabletop simulation training. A robust consensus was achieved on the proposed assessment tool and operational response guidelines. ML analysis identified distinct expert clusters, providing additional consensus perspectives.

The study emphasized the urgency for collaborative CBRN response strategies within MENA, valuing the innovative aspect of our suggested PAT, ORG, and simulation scenarios. This work advocates a dynamic, resilient approach to disaster medicine preparedness, which is crucial for regional security and global health resilience, especially in the MENA. It also highlights the significant role of AI analysis methods in enriching analytical outcomes in disaster medicine research and promoting data-informed preparedness strategies.

The demanding nature of the EMT members’ work in providing care for the affected population in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula, Japan, on January 1, 2024 is noted.

This study aims to examine the relationship between fatigue and the presenteeism of EMT members during this disaster.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1st to March 31st using the J-SPEED (Japanese-Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters) health check-up among EMT members. The questionnaire items included fatigue level and presenteeism measured using WFun-D (Work Functioning Impairment Scale for disaster), along with information on the type of activity, occupation, duration of working (days), and symptoms due to fatigue. Logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the association between fatigue and presenteeism of EMT members.

Among the 20,551 cases, 66.2% worked in the field, with the majority being operation coordinators (31.8%), nurses (30.9%), and medical doctors (19.9%). Presenteeism is strongly associated with having medium and high fatigue levels (p<0.0001). Other factors associated with presenteeism in EMT members included: working in January (aOR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.21-3.74), being a medical doctor (aOR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.15-2.04) or administrative supporter (aOR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.28-3.36), experiencing symptoms due to stress (aOR: 4.95, 95% CI: 3.80-6.46).

The study reveals a significant relationship between increasing fatigue levels and presenteeism among EMT members. These findings contribute to evidence-based strategies for fatigue management in disaster response scenarios, with implications for improving the effectiveness of medical response efforts in future large-scale disasters globally.

In the coming decades, the operational scenario will become more complex due to several changes (OCHA, 2022). With the global disasters increase, fatal victims and people subjected to emergency relief also increase, which reinforces World Health Organization’s (WHO) announcements for national and international development of capacities for emergencies and crisis responses. In Brazil, the Minas Gerais Military Fire Department (CBMMG), a state public institution, responds to incidents involved in emergencies and search and rescue, being a local response reference and a potential agent at national and international level.

In this global challenging context, CBMMG faces the need to expand and improve its operational capabilities. Thus, the study’s general objective was to verify organizational preparation for responses to local and external emergencies, integrating Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) guidelines into their operational practices.

This was an exploratory study and the methodology included literature review related to the responsibilities of firefighters in disaster response scenarios and their capacity to act in relation to pre-hospital care demands.

As a result, it was found that the institution invests in military personnel training in both pre-hospital care and disaster risk management, as well as in other auxiliary areas, effectively instructing them with applied technical and practical knowledge.

Thus, it is concluded that CBMMG military personnel are potential agents to compose an EMT, considering legal and regulatory aspects, their training, and the WHO prerequisites. In this way, they can contribute not only to the state citizens, but across the globe, in support of other teams and callings.

The evolving nature of irregular warfare and the increasingly frequent violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law pose unique challenges for humanitarian actors delivering trauma care in conflict settings.

This review aims to map out the challenges faced by humanitarian actors while providing trauma care within conflict zones, examine the solutions suggested or implemented across varied past conflict scenarios as well as document any requirements for effective interventions.

A scoping review was conducted to analyze and review past humanitarian interventions offering trauma care in conflict settings. Relevant records were identified from scientific and grey literature. The thematic areas identified by the framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre were used to facilitate the synthesis and analysis.

Eleven records examining all phases of conflict identifying gaps throughout the continuum of care in the trauma systems were included. Challenges, solutions and requirements in transportation capacity, data collection methodologies, field coordination mechanisms, and rehabilitative care services were highlighted. Addressing the shortages in skilled healthcare workers, implementing quality improvement measures, and developing standardized training curricula were some of the requirements reported.

Our review findings suggest that multidimensional approach emphasizing strong coordination, leadership, and inclusive partnerships is fundamental for effective trauma care systems in conflict zones. Key recommendations include robust medical transport, comprehensive healthcare training, preemptive mass casualty planning, standardized educational materials, telemedicine, continuous local context reassessment, data protection, and improved transparency and accountability. These strategies could enhance trauma care interventions, ensuring they are effective, equitable, accountable, and sustainable.

Clinical records are crucial for patient safety, continuity of care, and reflect the quality of care. In disasters, their importance increases due to limited patient information and complex scenarios. PT EMT clinical records should follow WHO recommendations and SOPs to ensure good practices and patient safety, especially during care transitions. Currently, PT EMT records are paper based until the Emergency Medical Team Operating System (EOS) digital system is implemented.

The aim was to review PT EMT’s clinical records from 2023 to assess adherence to procedures, identify improvement areas, provide feedback to professionals, and promote a culture of patient safety and continuous improvement.

Ten clinical records were randomly selected from each PT EMT deployment in 2023, totaling 60 records analyzed and registered using a specific checklist.

Records were missing information for: mission identification (35%), patient nationality (52%); contact details (100%); event date (12%); event type (57%); event-mission relationship (87%); time of 1st triage (43%); triage result (25%); patient assessment time (33%); patient history (48%); allergies (45%); usual medication (57%); diagnosis (30%); medication prescription and administration (21%); procedures carried out (44%;, patient situation decision (43%); physician signature (12%) and ID number (53%; decision date (22%), and decision time (33%).

To standardize patient clinical recording, we planned and implemented: inclusion of this topic during briefings in deployments and in the PT EMT annual training plan; elaboration of a specific SOP, update record templates; conduct a workshop during DIRECT Course. The audits will be repeated with 2024 clinical records to evaluate the measures’ effectiveness.

When a natural or man-made disaster occurs, emergency medical teams (EMTs) are dispatched to provide medical surge capacity for injured and sick individuals. Accurate predictions of EMTs consultations during disasters can improve dispatch and withdrawal decisions. However, no published studies have yet demonstrated a method for predicting the number of consultations or patients based on EMT activity data.

This research explores an innovative yet simple and reliable method to predict the number of consultations needed by EMTs during disasters, aiming to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of medical response.

Data were collected using Japan-Surveillance in Post-Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J-SPEED) and Minimum Data Set (MDS) for five disasters in Japan and one in Mozambique. For each disaster, the number of consultations was predicted from the K value and constant attenuation model, originally developed for predicting COVID-19 patient numbers.

The total number of EMT consultations per disaster ranged from 684 to 18,468. The predicted curve and actual K data were similar for each of the disasters (R2 from 0.953 to 0.997), but offset adjustments were needed for the Kumamoto earthquake and the Mozambique cyclone because their R2 values were below 0.985. For the six disasters, the difference between the number of consultations predicted from K values and the measured cumulative number of consultations ranged from ±1.0% to ±4.1%.

The K value and constant attenuation model reliably predicted EMT consultations during six different disasters. This simple model may be useful for the coordination of future responses of EMTs during disasters.

The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake highlighted the challenges of maintaining effective Early Warning, Alert, and Response Systems (EWARS) during emergencies and disasters. Key issues include damaged reporting capacities of local health facilities, the need to collect data from temporary facilities such as evacuation centers, analyzing data under emergency conditions and implementing on-site infection prevention and control measures.

This report reviews the successful joint operation of Emergency Medical Teams (EMT), Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP), and Public Health Rapid Response Teams (PHRRT) during the earthquake.

Findings were consolidated by joint after-action review.

National EMTs such as Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) reported data on infectious diseases to the EMT Coordination Cell (EMTCC) using the J-SPEED system, which is compatible with the WHO EMT Minimum Data Set (MDS). The robust logistics capacity of EMTs allowed effective data collection from remote and ad hoc facilities. The J-SPEED Analysis Support Team at the EMTCC shared this data with the FETP. Experts from FETP analyzed the data, identifying cases requiring intervention and successfully triggered targeted infection prevention and control measures implemented by PHRRTs specifically Disaster Infection Control Team (DICT).

The joint operation demonstrated that EMTs can effectively function as ad hoc sentinels within national EWARS. The integration of EMT data with FETP analysis and targeted interventions by PHRRTs proved successful, offering a valuable model for future emergency responses globally.