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Bioterrorism ready reference for PDA

2004; Elsevier BV; Volume: 44; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.annemergmed.2004.03.037

1097-6760

Christopher S. Russi,

Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research

As the threat of bioterrorism pervades, emergency clinicians and out-of-hospital responders need a rapid reference in the unfortunate event of an attack. That is exactly what the authors of Bioterrorism Ready Reference have designed. Dr. Scaletta and Dr. Schaider have created a very simple, concise, and user-friendly PDA tool for clinicians. Bioterrorism Ready Reference is comprehensive in that it reviews the pertinent keys to the spectrum of potential disasters: biologic agents, chemical agents, and nuclear weapons. There are some very attractive features to this software package. First, the software is installed with the MobiPocket (www.mobipocket.com) reader application. This tool allows easy access and readability of “eBooks” that are installed on either the PDA internal memory (RAM) or from a media card (eg, memory stick, flash card, scan disk). MobiPocket's reader is user friendly and makes the Bioterrorism Ready Reference simple and quick to navigate. Second, the content is in an outline format, which is very concise and readily accessible in a few seconds. The sections on biologic and chemical agents include a basic review of the organism/agent, examples, key clinical features, treatments, and transmission. Bioterrorism Ready Reference contains a small review on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) system to determine an agent's “risk” to homeland security (ie, high versus low mortality and potential for public panic/social disruption). Also included is a handy list of Web pages and phone numbers for authorities, experts, and management agencies in the field of bioterrorism (ie, CDC, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency) should you find yourself needing further assistance or to activate an external disaster protocol. Future editions of the software may be improved by adding detailed review sections on personal protective equipment, triage basics, and decontamination. I would personally like to be able to access what personal protective equipment level is necessary for the weapon encountered. Out-of-hospital personnel will benefit greatly from a review of triage, personal protective equipment principles, and acute treatment protocols (ie, How many Mark 1 kits should be given for neurotoxin exposure?). Expansion of the treatment regimens of biologic and chemical agents would be helpful, specifically in the area of doses and treatment lengths, because that information will likely have to be referenced from another source. For example, if dealing with sarin or Vx neurotoxin, depending on the exposure length and route, massive amounts of atropine may be needed, depleting a hospital's supply. Quick and concise are the benefits to the Bioterrorism Ready Reference. If you have a strong knowledge base in biologic and chemical agents, nuclear terrorism, and mass casualty triage, this reference may be all that you need. However, for the majority, Bioterrorism Ready Reference should be supplemented with other texts and resources and not be the sole reference relied on in times of crisis.