This study reviews patient encounters at a Boston-area community hospital Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) following the Boston Marathon bombings, with the goal of describing the impact of terrorist attacks on PES encounters.

All PES encounters for 2 months preceding and 2 months following the bombing were identified in the electronic medical record. Demographics, current and past psychiatric problems, and trauma history were assessed for all records. Encounters seen post-bombing were compared with those before the bombing.

Demographics, current and past psychiatric problems, and trauma history were not significantly different before versus after the bombing; 36 of 440 (8.2%) post-bombing encounters directly mentioned the bombings. New-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms caused by the bombing occurred in only 4 encounters (0.9%).

PES encounters after a terrorist event are likely to mirror those seen before a terrorist event, with only a minority of encounters presenting for new PTSD or acute stress disorder.

This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reserved for influenza pandemics (voluntary home quarantine, use of face masks by ill persons, childcare facility closures, school closures, and social distancing at schools, workplaces, and mass gatherings).

Public health officials in all 50 states (including Washington, DC) and 8 territories, and a random sample of 822 local health departments (LHDs), were surveyed in 2019.

The response rates for the states/ territories and LHDs were 75% (44/ 59) and 25% (206/ 822), respectively. Most of the state/ territorial respondents stated that the feasibility and acceptability of implementing NPIs were high, except for K-12 school closures lasting up to 6 weeks or 6 months. The LHD respondents also indicated that feasibility and acceptability were lowest for prolonged school closures. Compared to LHD respondents in suburban or urban areas, those in rural areas expressed lower feasibility and acceptability. Barriers to implementing NPIs included financial impact, compliance and difficulty in enforcement, perceived level of disease threat, and concerns regarding political implications.

Proactive strategies to systematically address perceived barriers and promote disease prevention ahead of a new pandemic are needed to increase receptivity and consistent adoption of NPIs and other evidence-based countermeasures.

Emergency departments should improve their preparedness for mass casualty incidents (MCIs) through periodic drills. These exercises are conducted while maintaining regular care. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a disaster drill in a pediatric emergency department (PED) on real patients’ waiting times.

On September 10, 2019, a 4-h disaster drill was conducted in the PED of a tertiary pediatric hospital, with minimal staff reinforcement (2 nurses). Cases were real patients that came to the PED during the drill. The patients that visited the PED the day before were the control group. Variables analyzed were: age, sex, destination, triage level, time-to-triage, time-to-physician, length of PED stay, and percentage of patients visited within the optimal time according to triage level.

Sixty-eight patients (case group) and 63 patients (control group) were analyzed; both groups were comparable except for the median age. There were no differences in time-to-triage, time-to-physician, and length of PED stay between the 2 groups. The percentage of patients visited within optimal time according to triage level was higher in the case group.

Conducting an MCI drill in the PED, with minimal staff reinforcement, was not detrimental to real patients’ waiting times.

This study aimed to carry out the validity and reliability study for the adaptation of the Competencies for Disaster Nursing Management Questionnaire (CDNMQ), which was developed by Al Thobaity and others in 2016, (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26778698/) to Turkish, and to be able to use in the nursing literature.

This study was conducted in a methodological approach. The scale used in this study was a 10-point Likert scale with 43 items and 3 subfactors. The questionnaire was applied to 450 nurses. The validity and reliability of the scale were evaluated using the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The content validity index was measured within the scope of the internal consistency measurements, and the Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was examined for the test-retest.

The content validity index score was found to be 0.98. As a result of the confirmatory factor analysis of the CDNMQ, it was found that the 3-factor structure of the scale was valid and the goodness of fit tests was appropriate.

The findings have shown that the CDNMQ study is similar to the original scale and an adequate measurement tool in determining competencies in disaster nursing management.

To compare food insecurity (FI) risk and food-related COVID-19 infection risk perceptions, practices, and problems (3P) in Washington (WA), New York (NY), and Louisiana (LA).

Data from the RAPID Multi-Wave Risk Perception Study was collected via online surveys between May 19 to July 14, 2020 (N = 1260). Multivariable - adjusted logistic and ordinal regressions were performed for odds of FI risk and 3P during these early months of the pandemic.

The determinants of FI risk in all states included income, age, and employment. Some determinants were state-specific: households with members at substantial risk for COVID-19 (WA and NY), ethnicity (NY), education, and relationship status (LA). The odds of FI risk were higher among those who perceived higher likelihood of COVID-19 infection via in-store shopping (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.70) and improperly cooked food (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.41). FI risk was associated with higher odds of problems related to food affordability (OR = 10.66, 95% CI: 7.87, 14.44), preference (OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.86, 3.39), sufficiency (OR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.96, 3.54), food sources (OR = 7.68, 95% CI: 5.73, 10.31), food storage capacity (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.66), and knowing where to find help in obtaining food (OR= 7.68, 95% CI: 5.73, 10.31); most of which did not differ by state. No association was found between food insecurity risk and food-related practices.

Better food preparedness is needed to reduce FI risk during pandemics in specific groups in WA, NY, and LA. Specifically, food affordability, sufficiency, and storage, as well as sources, and increasing knowledge on food programs are limitations that need to be addressed for emergency situations.