Residents of a skilled nursing facility are significantly more likely than other people to go to the hospital. These hospital stays can be disruptive and frightening, especially for people with dementia. The right medical equipment can manage many minor medical conditions, preventing them from worsening and reducing the need to transport residents to the hospital.

Emergency preparedness is a critical aspect of the job for every medical professional, especially first responders. You’ll be working with people at some of the most difficult times of their lives, often in the wake of immense tragedy or a sudden disaster. Emergency preparedness should guide your work.

The call came in as a “child down.” No other information was available. As your unit races to the scene, you do a quick mental inventory of the equipment you may need: pedi bag, airway bag, spinal immobilization, trauma bag. As with any emergency, your pulse is racing, but when the call involves a child, there is always an added layer of stress. Is your equipment ready? Did you inventory the pedi bag this morning? Can you recall the drug dosages, in case the child is in full arrest? A million questions flash through your mind.

School is in session, and medical emergencies in school are common – 10% to 15% of students have special medical needs or a chronic health issue—yet many schools are unprepared to manage them. 

Because there are always many unknowns, preparing for a disaster is an enormous undertaking. For rural hospitals, this challenge is further amplified due to issues such as remote location, limited resources, and staffing shortages. Yet by actively preparing for the types of disasters that rural hospitals are most likely to face, such difficulties can be lessened.

Power outages can strike without warning. For some, they are a minor inconvenience that lasts only a few moments. But some outages can last for many days, endangering the health of people who depend on ventilators and other electrical devices to remain healthy and alive.

It’s the nightmare scenario for emergency health care providers – arriving at the scene of a crisis or preparing to attend to an emergency room patient and a vital piece of equipment unexpectedly fails. The precious time spent finding a replacement or coming up with a Plan B is time that many patients cannot afford.

It was a calm Sunday in 2017 on the southern coast of England when people strolling along the shore were suddenly engulfed in a strange chemical cloud. More than 130 people were treated at an area hospital for complaints ranging from sore throats to streaming eyes, to difficulty breathing. The source and the composition of the cloud have never been determined, but the event is a reminder that hazardous materials can cause a range of medical issues—one of the most serious being respiratory emergencies.

Whether you have a disability, or someone you know has one, disability impacts everyone, at all ages and stages of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to one in four (27%) adults in the U.S. have some type of disability, and 12.1% of U.S. adults have a mobility disability with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Prehospital care is a sector of the medical field that is constantly evolving with new research and advancements. When it comes to prehospital care for pediatric patients, things can get a little tricky. One of the most pressing questions that comes up when a provider is navigating prehospital care for a child is, “Should I utilize an intubation tube or not?” There are several important factors providers must understand and consider to make the most informed decisions about intubation during prehospital pediatric care.