Biomedical subjects

Randal Beaton

Publications and source records attributed to Randal Beaton.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Disaster nursing curriculum development based on vulnerability assessment in the pacific northwest.

Disasters caused by naturally occurring or deliberately caused infections, toxic chemical spills, radiologic releases, or other catastrophic events are likely to challenge the US health care system and pose special risks to vulnerable groups. Despite these threats in the environment,most US nursing programs lack disaster nursing content. This article describes disaster nursing competencies needed in Washington State based on standards, local geographic and population vulnerabilities,expert review, and surveys of nursing students and practicing nurses. Disaster nursing competencies included the following categories: (1)providing for patient care needs; (2) practicing safely; (3) preparing,implementing, and evaluating institutional and community protocols in preparation for a disaster; (4) reporting and communicating; and (5)accessing up-to-date information. Practicing nurses and student nurses indicated a strong need for disaster nursing content; the greatest perceived need was for content related to caring for injured or ill patients and practicing safely during a disaster.

Curriculum↗

PubMed2005

Identification and evaluation of mental health and psychosocial preparedness resources from the Centers for Public Health Preparedness.

An exemplar group of disaster mental health subject matter experts was formed as part of the CDC Center for Public Health Preparedness program to develop a "toolkit" of relevant CPHP disaster mental health training and education curricula and resources. The group developed a charter, compiled relevant CPHP training materials, developed an objective review template, and collectively reviewed the assembled resources. Curricular reviews were presented at a March 2005 meeting where an asset matrix was developed to categorize and compare the training and education curricula and resources. This article describes findings and next steps for toolkit development and refinement. Some recommendations for the toolkit identified thus far are to develop standardized disaster mental health nomenclature, add training exercises to the array of CPHP training and education resources, develop disaster mental health competencies for public health workers, add more advanced trainings to the current repertoire, and add resources to the toolkit during the coming years. The group also plans to disseminate the mental health/psychosocial preparedness toolkit to practice partners engaged in training disaster response personnel.

Disaster Planning↗

PubMed2004

First record: a methodological approach to counter sampling bias.

One goal of survey research is to optimize sampling procedures so that the collected data will produce accurate population estimates. In this context, sampling bias is a primary threat to a study's validity. If individuals who do not respond are a random sample of the population, then the estimates obtained from such a subsample are unbiased. However, as the percentage of nonrespondents increases, the assumption of unbiased estimation becomes increasingly tenuous. At this point an investigator has two choices: delete all subjects who have not provided data as part of the first data collection, or allow a respondent's point of entry to define his baseline measures for the study. No previous discussion of the latter option has been noted in the methods literature. Therefore the authors have termed this approach to baseline the "first record". Conditions under which the "first record" technique would be appropriate or inappropriate are discussed.

Bias↗

PubMed2002

Psychosocial responses to biological and chemical terrorist threats and events. Implications for the workplace.

1. Both biological and chemical weapons (BCW) could potentially be used in future terrorist attacks on U.S. workplaces and communities. 2. Threats of BCW terrorism may lead to anxiety, adverse health effects, and the exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms and syndromes in workers and managers. 3. Actual BCW attacks will likely cause both acute and chronic mental disorders in a significant number of surviving victims who may also be employees or employers. 4. Occupational health nurses can help prevent or remediate maladaptive psychological responses by educating themselves and their work forces, assisting in a risk assessment of the workplace, understanding disaster planning, and assisting management in policy formulation and psychosocial triage.

Biological Warfare↗