J N Oss | PubMed Health

PubMed1978

Life-support training in high-density population centers.

Death and disability from ischemic heart disease, trauma, and other medical emergencies may be reduced significantly by developing an Emergency Medical Services system based on training for the nonmedical population in basic life-support skills; this is particularly appropriate in high-density population centers where professional response time is complicated by confestion and traffic. A pilot project in New York City, which designed and implemented a first-response capability for medical emergencies in corporations, using employees in a system congruent with the fire warden plans in effect, was completed in May 1977. To obtain an initial assessment of the medical impact of such training and the effectiveness of such a medical emergency response system during the pilot phase, The Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City, Inc., obtained reports from the 24 participating corporations on all reported medical and surgical emergencies occurring in the working environment. The authors conclude that this approach to development of a first response-capability can provide an effective community base for an effective Emergency Medical Services system in urban areas.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

Adjunctive drug use by methadone patients.

Clinical impressions, reinforced by reports in both professional journals and the lay press, suggested that use and abuse of minor tranquilizers and sedative-hypnotics was extensive among patients in our drug treatment clinics and required some change in our policies. We surveyed a randomly selected national sample of methadone program physicians and found they shared our assumptions concerning the use of these drugs. A pilot program of urine screening for the presence of adjunctive drugs was completed, and we found the incidence of use to be below expected levels, except for opiates and alcohol. These results suggest we should reconsider plans to alter clinic policies concerning the regulation of these substances. A rigorous examination of serum and/or urine in a national research program to determine both the incidence of adjunctive drug use by clients in drug treatment programs and correlations of such data with national surveys would be an expensive undertaking, but would provide a more rational basis for policy making at both local and national levels.

Alcohol Drinking↗