1.Post-impact disaster surveillance - A medical reconnaissance team at tsunami-struck Sri Lanka.
Nasir Mohamad ; Nor Hidayah Abu Bakar ; Nik Arif Nik Mohamed ; Kamarul Aryffin Baharudin ; Abu Yazid Md Noh ; Rashidi Ahmad ; Nik Hisamuddin Nik Abd. Rahman
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2007;14(1):79-83
Emergency Medicine and Disaster Medicine are two specialties which are similar in the multidisciplinary involvement during the acute phase of the disaster. Recently, there was an increase in the number of disasters in the world but not many physicians are familiar with the principles for dealing with such situations, the unique organizational demands, coordination and the urgent need for medical assistance and relief. This case report delineates our experiences at a tsunami disaster area and the approach to setting up a medical relief team in the affected area. A medical reconnaissance team comprising of an emergency doctor from Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (H.U.S.M) and two MERCY Malaysia members was assembled. The team flew to Colombo on day 5 after the tsunami with medical supplies and related materials. The mission started from December 31st 2004 until January 8th 2005. Our surveillance area covered the Southern and Eastern Province with a total distance of 1700 km along the coast. The strategies employed during this medical reconnaissance included risk analysis, devising a resources matrix, developing lines of communication and rapport with other relief teams, Sri Lankan government agencies, and local and international non-government organizations. As a result, our team was able to set up a medical relief camp and distribute the relief items to the tsunami victims. In conclusion, the Disaster Emergency Medical Assistant Team (DEMAT) from H.U.S.M and MERCY Malaysia were able to set up and provide medical relief with our limited resources to a large scale disaster situation.
Disasters
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legal surveillance
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Sri Lanka
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Malaysia
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After values
2.Health major incident: The experiences of mobile medical team during major flood
Rashidi Ahmad ; Zainalabidin Mohamad ; Abu Yazid Mohd Noh ; Nasir Mohamad ; Mohd Saharudin Shah Che Hamzah ; Nik Ariff Nik Mohammed ; Kamarul Aryffin Baharudin ; Tuan Hairulnizam Tuan Kamauzaman
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2008;15(2):29-33
Disaster is a sudden event that associated with ecological changes, disruption of normal daily activities, destruction of infrastructures, loss of properties, and
medical disabilities. In disaster, there is a mismatch between available resources and patients need for healthcare service. During flood disaster, the victims were
predisposed to different type of illnesses for various reasons such as inadequate supply of clean water, poor sanitation or drainage system, unhealthy foods, and
over-crowded relief centers. Mobile clinic is an option for delivering medical care for the disaster victims who often have a difficulty to access to the medical facilities. In this article we would like to share our experiences during the provision of
humanitarian services for flood victims at District of Muar Johor. Common illnesses among the flood victims at visited relief centers and advantages of Mobile Medical
Relief Team were also highlighted and discussed.
3.A Study on the Magnitude and the Effectiveness of the Observation Ward of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia
Rashidi Ahmad ; Nik Hisamuddin Nik Abdul Rahman ; Abu Yazid Mohd Noh ; Nik Ariff Nik Abdul Rahman ; Nasir Mohamad ; Kamarul Aryffin Baharudin
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2010;17(1):38-43
Background: The observation ward (OW) allows patients to be reassessed and monitored
before deciding either to admit or to discharge them. This is a six-month descriptive cross-sectional
study conducted in the observation ward of the Emergency Department (ED) of Hospital Universiti
Sains Malaysia, Kelantan. The objective of this study was to examine the demographic characteristics
and clinical profiles of adult observed patients and to determine the effectiveness of OW management.
Methods: Patients were selected randomly by convenience sampling. One hundred and
twenty-four patients were included in the study. The mean age was 40.3 ± 18.5 years (95% CI: 37.2 to
43.8).
Results: Among the common clinical problems were abdominal discomfort (23%), diarrhoea
and vomiting (13%) and fever (13%). Reasons for OW admission included diagnostic uncertainty
(63%) and short course of treatment (33%). The mean length of stay was 4.1 ± 1.8 hours (95% CI=3.8
to 4.4 hours). Most of the patients (85%) were discharged.
Conclusions: The OW of HUSM is effective in managing adult patients as determined by the
hospitalisation rate and the length of stay.