Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness

Purpose To quantify and compare the peak force applied on the glottis during endotracheal intubation across five laryngoscopy techniques, two intubation conditions (standard and simulated laryngospasm), and two operator experience levels, and to assess the effects of stylet use and operator anthropometric characteristics on applied force. Methods This prospective, manikin-based experimental study enrolled 50 operators (30 experienced, 20 less experienced). Each performed endotracheal intubation ...

BackgroundHelmet use is a proven safety measure that reduces the risk of head injury among cyclists and e-scooter riders. Despite legal requirements for pedal bikes and e-bikes in Australia, compliance varies, particularly among users of electric vehicles. The growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas presents new public health challenges, yet observational data on helmet use, behavioural determinants, and the effectiveness of safety interventions remain limited. AimPhase 4 of...

Background The Hump-nosed pit viper is a recognized but neglected medically significant species causing morbidity and mortality, with non-availability of a specific antivenom. There are many gaps in our understanding of its envenomation, including burden, clinical syndrome, complications and management. Methodology The study is a retrospective sub analysis of the Prospective VENOMS registry and hospital records of Hump Nosed Pit Viper envenomation from a single tertiary care center in coastal Ka...

Students who frequently miss school are at greater risk for academic difficulty. High levels of absenteeism as early as kindergarten have been associated with long-term consequences, such as low reading proficiency in Grade 3 and low academic achievement in Grade 5, both of which have been associated with lower rates of high school graduation and enrollment in post-secondary education. The prevalence of school absenteeism has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and there have bee...

IntroductionDigital technologies are reshaping how health professionals are trained, and extended reality (XR) has gained attention as a tool for skills development in dental education. Yet, successful integration depends largely on educators perceptions, readiness, and working conditions. This study aimed to explore dental educators views of the educational value of XR, what barriers they experience, and how familiarity with immersive technologies relates to their use in teaching. Materials an...

Despite the relevance of spatial mapping in analyzing the health situation and understanding the risk factors and determinants of leptospirosis, peripheral urban communities often remain invisible on maps, which tend to use data and methods that do not express community contribution nor promote local participation. Furthermore, in the implementation of sanitation interventions, the same happens: there is limited user participation, and a lack of identification of intervention needs based on the...

BackgroundHelmet use is a proven safety measure that reduces the risk of head injury among cyclists and e-scooter riders. Despite legal requirements for pedal bikes and e-bikes in Australia, compliance varies, particularly among users of electric vehicles. The growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas presents new public health challenges, yet observational data on helmet use, behavioural determinants, and the effectiveness of safety interventions remain limited. AimPhase 3 of...

BackgroundBoth hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and scrub typhus (ST) are acute zoonotic infectious diseases. There is an overlap in their epidemiological characteristics and clinical manifestations, posing challenges for early differential diagnosis. This study aims to identify predictive factors for these two diseases to provide a basis for early diagnosis. Method/FindingsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients diagnosed with HFRS and ST at the Firs...

Objective: Minimum unit pricing (MUP) aims to reduce use of cheap, high strength alcoholic beverages that drive harm, yet concerns remain about inequitable effects for structurally vulnerable groups. As part of the Costs, Harms, Expenditures and Alcohol Prices (CHEAP) study, we linked individual-level, product-specific alcohol consumption data from a customized survey with provincial retail price data to estimate prices per standard drink (PPSD) and examine their association with alcohol-related...

Introduction Heat waves are increasingly frequent and linked to higher mortality risks in Hong Kong. However, estimates of total excess mortality associated with heat waves remain unavailable. This study quantifies excess deaths associated with heat waves in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2023. Methods Daily age- and sex-specific mortality rates and population data were obtained from the Hong Kong Life Tables and Census and Statistics Department. Temperature data came from the Hong Kong Observatory, and...

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability globally. However, information about stroke burden in the Philippines is limited. We sought to analyze stroke burden in the Philippines from 1990 to 2023. MethodsIncidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 data were used as indicators to analyze the burden of stroke by sex and age. Temporal trends in both crude and age-standardized rates were an...

IntroductionAtmospheric conditions under climate change increase pressure on healthcare systems. Especially, the intensive care units (ICU) are vulnerable due to low buffer capacity and high utilization rates. MethodsDaily ICU cases from 2009 to 2023 were derived from the German statutory health insurance data of eleven regional AOK insurances. Cases were stratified by age and sex. Generalized additive models were used to investigate the associations between daily ICU cases and lagged atmospher...

Suicide is one of the worlds leading public health problems, with more than 720,000 deaths annually. Suicide has traditionally been studied from an individual perspective. However, research has increasingly highlighted the influence of community-level factors on suicide risk. This study aimed to (1) analyse the spatial distribution of suicide mortality at the provincial level in Spain (2018-2022); (2) perform stratified analyses by sex and age group; and (3) compare suicide risk across differen...

BackgroundNo randomized clinical trial comparing the most established new modalities of treatment for patients with localized prostate cancer has been published, and there is scarce comparative effectiveness research assessing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Objectiveto compare the impact of active surveillance, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and real-time brachytherapy on patients, through PROMs, from pre-treatment to five years...

Academic institutions privilege norms of continuous productivity and uninterrupted availability, creating conformity pressures that systematically disadvantage those who deviate from an implicit template of the ideal academic. This study explores how doctoral students and faculty in the health sciences perceive the reproduction of social homogeneity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants at a German university hospital. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic anal...

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival depends on timely bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and quick defibrillation via automated external defibrillator (AED). However, access to CPR education and willingness to intervene are not equitably distributed. Within the Muslim community, intersecting religious identity, language, immigration-related concerns, and other social determinants of health may affect CPR/AED education, bystander response, and ultimately OHCA out...

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, the burden of hypertension is increasing. Medication adherence is a critical component of reducing hypertension-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and death. There are many barriers to hypertension medication adherence, including challenges with access to and possession of medication. To address these challenges, we aim to implement a strategy in rural western Kenya that combines peer delivery of medications and health information technolog...

Objective To test the effectiveness of a postpartum behavioural intervention delivered by automated text messaging in reducing weight. Design Two parallel group, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Setting Recruitment from five areas across the United Kingdom (Belfast, Bradford, Stirling, London and Cardiff) through healthcare and community pathways, including social media. Participants A diverse sample of 892 women between 6 weeks and 24 months postpartum, aged 18 years or more and with a...

BackgroundHelmet use is a proven safety measure that reduces the risk of head injury among cyclists and e-scooter riders. Despite legal requirements for pedal bikes and e-bikes in Australia, compliance varies, particularly among users of electric vehicles. The growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban areas presents new public health challenges, yet observational data on helmet use, behavioural determinants, and the effectiveness of safety interventions remain limited. AimPhases 1 a...

BackgroundText messages are a low-cost digital health solution that can provide information directly to mothers. We aimed to evaluate a text message program, called Essential Coaching for Every Mother Tanzania (ECEM-TZ), designed to improve maternal access to essential newborn care education during the immediate 6-week postnatal period. MethodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. ECEM-TZ consists of standardized text messages from birth to 6 weeks postpartum t...