https://www.novareader.co Default RSS Feed en-us Newgen KnowledgeWorks https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0250551

Background

Internal hospital crises and disasters (IHCDs) are events that disrupt the routine functioning of a hospital while threatening the well-being of patients and staff. IHCDs may cause hospital closure, evacuations of patients and loss of healthcare capacity. The consequences may be ruinous for local communities. Although IHCDs occur with regularity, information on the frequency and types of these events is scarcely published in the medical literature. However, gray literature and popular media reports are widely available. We therefore conducted a scoping review of these literature sources to identify and characterize the IHCDs that occurred in Dutch hospitals from 2000 to 2020. The aim is to develop a systematic understanding of the frequency of the various types of IHCDs occurring in a prosperous nation such as the Netherlands.

Methods

A systematic scoping review of news articles retrieved from the LexisNexis database, Google, Google News, PubMed and EMBASE between 2000 and 2020. All articles mentioning the closure of a hospital department in the Netherlands were analyzed.

Results

A total of 134 IHCDs were identified in a 20-year time period. Of these IHCDs, there were 96 (71.6%) emergency department closures, 76 (56.7%) operation room closures, 56 (41.8%) evacuations, 26 (17.9%) reports of injured persons, and 2 (1.5%) reported casualties. Cascading events of multiple failures transpired in 39 (29.1%) IHCDs. The primary causes of IHCDs (as reported) were information and communication technology (ICT) failures, technical failures, fires, power failures, and hazardous material warnings. An average of 6.7 IHCDs occurred per year. From 2000–2009 there were 32 IHCDs, of which one concerned a primary ICT failure. Of the 102 IHCDs between 2010–2019, 32 were primary ICT failures.

Conclusions

IHCDs occur with some regularity in the Netherlands and have marked effects on hospital critical care departments, particularly emergency departments. Cascading events of multiple failures transpire nearly a third of the time, limiting the ability of a hospital to stave off closure due to failure. Emergency managers should therefore prioritize the risk of ICT failures and cascading events and train hospital staff accordingly.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0250418 The weak interlayer in a rock slope often plays a significant role in seismic rockslides; however, the effect of weak interlayer on the seismic slope response and damage process is still not fully understood. This study presents a series of shaking test tests on two model slopes containing a horizontal weak interlayer with different thicknesses. A recorded Wenchuan earthquake ground motion was scaled to excite the slopes. Measurements from accelerometers embedded at different elevations of slope surface and slope interior were analyzed and compared. The effect of the weak interlayer thickness on the seismic response was highlighted by a comparative analysis of the two slopes in terms of topographic amplification, peak accelerations, and deformation characteristics as the input amplitude increased. It was found that the structure deterioration and nonlinear response of the slopes were manifested as a time lag of the horizontal accelerations in the upper slope relative to the lower slope and a reduction of resonant frequency and Fourier spectral ratio. Test results show that under horizontal acceleration, both slopes exhibited significant topographic amplification in the upper half, and the difference in amplification between slope face and slope interior was more pronounced in Slope B (with a thin weak interlayer) than in Slope A (with a thick weak interlayer). A four-phased dynamic response process of both slopes was observed. Similar deformation characteristics including development of strong response zone and macro-cracks, vertical settlement, horizontal extrusion and collapse in the upper half were observed in both slopes as the input amplitude increased; however, the deformations were more severe in Slope B than in Slope A, suggesting an energy isolation effect of the thick interlayer in Slope A.

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Background

A major earthquake in Israel is inevitable. Individual risk perceptions and preparedness can mitigate harm and save lives. The gap between the public’s concerns and those of experts is reflected in their differential perceptions regarding the components that influence the occurrence of an earthquake in Israel. Whereas the public believes that geographic location is the critical variable, the experts note additional variables that need to be considered. Common knowledge regarding the risks of earthquake occurrence in Israel is based on a distinction between high and low-risk areas, such that the closer a residential area is to the Great Rift Valley, the higher the risk that an earthquake will occur.

Objectives

To examine the variables affecting public preparedness in Israel (effective communication agent (communicator), high and low earthquake risk areas) and the degree to which experts’ knowledge contradicts respondents’ common knowledge.

Methods

The study used a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative research. The first stage included in-depth interviews with earthquake experts (n = 19). The second stage consisted of an experiment conducted among a representative sample of the public (n = 834).

Results

Most people believe that geographical location constitutes the main risk factor for earthquakes in Israel. Yet experts claim that additional variables affect earthquake intensity and damage: building strength, earthquake magnitude, distance from earthquake epicenter, soil type, and interaction between these four. The study found that knowledge of expert information affects public willingness to prepare. The direction of this influence depends on participants’ risk perceptions regarding residential area and on degree of consistency with common knowledge. In low-risk areas, added knowledge increased willingness to prepare whereas in high-risk areas this knowledge decreased willingness.

Conclusion

To turn expert information into common knowledge and to increase earthquake preparedness, the authorities must educate the public to generate a new public preparedness norm.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0247677 Transient ground displacement (TGD) that is caused by earthquakes can damage underground pipes. This damage is especially critical for the joints, elbows and tees of the pipes which play an important role in the operation of a pipe network. In this study, a scale pipe network with both elbows and tees, as well as some components of the pipe network with only tees or elbows, has been investigated. The response of the nodes of a pipe network, when installed in non-uniform geology, was analyzed using the shaking table test and ABAQUS finite element simulation. This paper has firstly introduced the preparation of the test and the developed finite element model. Then the system response in terms of strain, the friction, the bending deformation, the node deformation amplification coefficient and the pipe-soil relative displacement along the pipe axis of the pipe network and two pipe network components have been analyzed explaining the correlation between these responses. Finally, the influence of elbows and tees on the pipe network was analyzed, and the conclusions that have been reached about how tees and elbows can change the response of a pipe network during an earthquake can provide theoretical support for the seismic design and layout of an underground pipe network.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0247521 A tropical storm (TS) Roanu occurred in northern Sri Lanka in 2016, which transported northwards along the west coast of the Bay of Bengal (BoB). During the development of the TS, ocean eddies on its track had an important effect on the intensity of Roanu. The dynamic mechanism was investigated with multisource reanalysis and Argo float data in this study. The results show that ocean eddies were the main reason why Roanu first enhanced, weakened, and then enhanced again. Warm eddy W1 supports the initial development of the TS, cold eddy C1 weakens Roanu, and warm eddy W2 continues to support Roanu. On May 19, 2016, the maximum average latent heat flux over W1 was 260.85 w/m², while that of C1 was only 200.71 w/m². After the passage of Roanu, the tropical cyclone heat potential (TCHP) of eddies significantly decreased. The TCHP of W1, W2, C1 and C2 decreased by 20.95 kJ/cm², 11.07 kJ/cm², 29.82 kJ/cm², 9.31 kJ/cm², respectively. The mixed layer of warm eddies deepened much more than that of cold eddies, supporting Roanu development. In addition, changes in potential vorticity (PV) values caused by the disturbance of eddies may also reflect changes in the TS intensity. This study offers new insights on the influence of ocean eddies in regulating the development of tropical cyclone (TC) in the BoB.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0247566 After an earthquake, affected areas have insufficient medicinal supplies, thereby necessitating substantial distribution of first-aid medicine from other supply centers. To make a proper distribution schedule, we considered the timing of supply and demand. In the present study, a “sequential time window” is used to describe the time to generate of supply and demand and the time of supply delivery. Then, considering the sequential time window, we proposed two multiobjective scheduling models with the consideration of demand uncertainty; two multiobjective stochastic programming models were also proposed to solve the scheduling models. Moreover, this paper describes a simulation that was performed based on a first-aid medicine distribution problem during a Wenchuan earthquake response. The simulation results show that the methodologies proposed in this paper provide effective schedules for the distribution of first-aid medicine. The developed distribution schedule enables some supplies in the former time windows to be used in latter time windows. This schedule increases the utility of limited stocks and avoids the risk that all the supplies are used in the short-term, leaving no supplies for long-term use.

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Background

In June 2013, the city of Calgary, Alberta and surrounding areas sustained significant flooding which resulted in large scale evacuations and closure of businesses and schools. Floods can increase stress which may negatively impact perinatal outcomes and mental health, but previous research is inconsistent. The objectives of this study are to examine the impact of the flood on pregnancy health, birth outcomes and postpartum mental health.

Methods

Linked administrative data from the province of Alberta were used. Outcomes included preterm birth, small for gestational age, a new diagnoses of preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, and a diagnosis of, or drug prescription for, depression or anxiety. Data were analyzed using a quasi-experimental difference in difference design, comparing flooded and non-flooded areas and in affected and unaffected time periods. Multivariable log binomial regression models were used to estimate risk ratios, adjusted for maternal age. Marginal probabilities for the difference in difference term were used to show the potential effect of the flood.

Results

Participants included 18,266 nulliparous women for the pregnancy outcomes, and 26,956 women with infants for the mental health analysis. There were no effects for preterm birth (DID 0.00, CI: -0.02, 0.02), small for gestational age (DID 0.00, CI: -0.02, 0.02), or new cases of preeclampsia (DID 0.00, CI: -0.01, 0.01). There was a small increase in new cases of gestational hypertension (DID 0.02, CI: 0.01, 0.03) in flood affected areas. There were no differences in postpartum anxiety or depression prescriptions or diagnoses.

Conclusion

The Calgary 2013 flood was associated with a minor increase in gestational hypertension and not other health outcomes. Universal prenatal care and magnitude of the disaster may have minimized impacts of the flood on pregnant women.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0244972 When people anticipate financial support, they may reduce preventive effort. We conjecture that the source of financial support can mitigate this moral hazard effect due to social preferences. We compare effort choices when another individual voluntarily provides financial support against effort choices under purely monetary incentives. When financial support is provided voluntarily by another individual, we expect recipients to exert more effort to avoid bad outcomes (level effect) and to reduce effort provision to a lesser degree as financial support becomes more generous (sensitivity effect). We conducted an incentivized laboratory experiment and find some evidence for the level effect and strong evidence for the sensitivity effect. This leads to significant gains in material efficiency with expected wealth being 5.5% higher and 37.3% less volatile.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0245591 This research aims to determine the attitudes of the farmers whose lands are affected by liquefaction in Jono Oge, Central Sulawesi Province, The Republic of Indonesia. The methods used here were integrated survey and experimental design. The survey approach was intended to figure out the attitudes of the farmers viewpoints: (1) to return to their activities on the agricultural lands affected by liquefaction; (2) to consume their own agricultural products; and (3) of their willingness to be relocated. The experimental design approach was used to figure out the effectiveness of organic material input combined with the SP-36 fertilizer. The obtained results were analyzed using the Likert Scale, diversity test, correlational test, and regression test. The results showed that the farmers persevered farming on the lands affected by liquefaction (Index = 88.82%) yet refused to consume their own agricultural products with the reason that corpses remained buried beneath their lands (Index = 27.82%); and they also refused to be relocated (Index = 28.80%). The continued production suitability of the affected land was also investigated. Terrain profile identification results in Jono Oge showed the disaster impact was dominantly landslide as it still showed a clear characteristic horizon between the topsoil and the sub soil. This contrasts to terrain at Petobo, Central Sulawesi Province, where the high mix of the topsoil with the sub soil of agricultural land affected by liquefaction, prevented demarcation of the horizon. The land treatment of organic material and SP-36 fertilizer showed that the combined dose (M) of 40-kg ha^-1 with P 300-kg ha^-1 had the highest effect by changing the field pH from 5.7 to 6.41, increased the availability of P and increased the corncob indicator plant weight. Based on these indications, the lands affected by the liquefaction in Jono Oge can still be used as agricultural lands through restoration, from both social and technical aspects.

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