List of Titles

Manual handling risks associated with the transportation of bariatric patients in Australia

Authors: Cowley, Stephen , Leggett, Susan
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Emergency Primary Health Care Vol. 8, no. 2 (2010), p. 1-9
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Description: Objectives Identify the factors that affect the risks and the adoption of risk control measures during the care of bariatric (morbidly obese) patients by paramedics and fire fighter first responders in Australia. Methods Focus groups were conducted in neutral locations in two Australian state capitals; a suburban region of Melbourne which straddled the rural and metropolitan boundaries; and a large regional Victorian town. Results Carers of bariatric patients are exposed to manual handling injury risk throughout the journey that bariatric patients take within the healthcare and funeral systems. In focussing on paramedics and fire service first responders, as key groups within that journey, it was found that the risks are significant but are not quantifiable. The injury risk is influenced by the nature and design of the range of environments within which patient movement is undertaken; the limited range of handling equipment available for use with bariatric patients; and the efficacy of organisational procedures and training. Adoption of risk controls is hampered by the absence of a standard definition of the term "bariatric" and gaps in the information flow during the bariatric patient journey through the health care system. Various definitions of bariatric are applied in different sectors and there are limitations to the use of both weight and body mass index in those definitions. Conclusions There is a lack of knowledge about how to safely manage the unique needs of bariatric patients. It appears that few streamlined systems have been established for patient management, and many cases are managed as if they are an isolated experience. There is little documentation of systems or case studies and thus very little sharing of the knowledge. Improvements in manual handling risk control for carers requires greater inter and intra-industry collaboration, which in turn requires an agreed definition of "bariatric".
Description: 2003008301

Web-based collaborative document writing for emergency management

- Shatte, Adrian, Holdsworth, Jason, Lee, Ickjai

Authors: Shatte, Adrian , Holdsworth, Jason , Lee, Ickjai
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Conference proceedings
Relation: 49th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences HICSS 2016; 5-8 Jan. 2016; Koloa, HI, USA p. 217-226
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Description: This paper describes the progress of our research into collaborative document writing for emergency management. Our focus is specifically on the use of web technologies to improve communication and shared knowledge in emergency situations. We present a prototype system built using Differential Synchronisation with flexible locking and user attribution features. Based on the past shortcomings of technologies and documents such as situation reports, we consider the potential benefits of a web-based system with flexible locking and user attribution for collaborative situation report writing.

An evaluation of emergency plans and procedures in fitness facilities in Australia: Implications for policy and practice

- Sekendiz, Betul, Norton, Kevin, Keyzer, Patrick, Dietrich, Joachim, Coyle, Ian, Jones, Veronica, Finch, Caroline

Authors: Sekendiz, Betul , Norton, Kevin , Keyzer, Patrick , Dietrich, Joachim , Coyle, Ian , Jones, Veronica , Finch, Caroline
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Conference proceedings
Full Text:
Description: In 2007-08, fitness facilities contributed $872.9 million to the Australian economy and provided savings in direct health care costs estimated up to $107.9 million through their positive impact on physical inactivity and associated diseases (1). In 2011-12, more than 4.3 million Australians participated in sport and physical recreation at indoor sports or fitness facilities (2). However, research across Queensland (3) and in Victoria (4) showed low compliance with emergency plans and safety practices in fitness facilities. The aim of this study was to analyse emergency plans and procedures in fitness facilities in Australia. A nationwide online risk management survey of fitness professionals (n=1178, mean age=39.9), and observational audits at randomly selected regional and metropolitan fitness facilities (n=11) in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland were conducted. The findings indicated that most of the fitness professionals (68.1%) rated the emergency evacuation plans and other emergency procedures in their facilities as extremely/very good (n=640). Yet, more than one fourth (27.4%) of fitness professionals were somewhat aware (n=152), or very unaware/not at all aware (n=49) of the emergency evacuation plans and other emergency procedures in their facilities. The observational audits showed that most of the fitness facilities did not clearly display their emergency response plans (73%, n=8), emergency evacuation procedures (55%, n=6) or emergency telephone numbers (91%, n=10). Many fitness facilities (36.4%, n=4) did not have an appropriate first aid kit accessible by all staff. Our study shows a lack of emergency preparedness in many fitness facilities in Australia. Emergency response capability is crucial for fitness facility managers to satisfy their duty of care to manage risks of medical emergencies and disasters such as fire, explosion, and floods. Our study has implications for policy development and education of fitness facility managers to improve emergency plans and procedures in fitness facilities in Australia.

Hospital admissions following presentations to emergency departments for a fracture in older people

- Boufous, Soufiane, Finch, Caroline, Close, Jacqueline, Day, Lesley, Lord, Stephen

Authors: Boufous, Soufiane , Finch, Caroline , Close, Jacqueline , Day, Lesley , Lord, Stephen
Date: 2007
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 13, no. 3 (2007), p. 211-214
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Description: The aim of this paper is to estimate the proportion of older people who are hospitalised following a presentation to an emergency department for hip, pelvic and wrist fractures. The findings indicate that hospitalisation data do not accurately reflect the incidence of low-trauma fractures, particularly wrist and pelvic fractures, in older people.
Description: C1
Description: 2003005768

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