| Experience of a Medical Disaster Assistance Team during the Subacute Period after the Haiti Earthquake |
| Kwang Jin Ahn, Yun Kwon Kim, Du Yong Park, Hyun Kim, Kyung Cheul Cha, Kang Hyun Lee, Sung Oh Hwang, Dae Jung Hyun |
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Sahmyook Medical Center, Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
2Department of Emergency Medicine, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Korea. hanoskim@medimail.co.kr
3Good Neighbors. |
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| ABSTRACT |
PURPOSE:
A medical disaster assistance team from our hospital was sent to the Haiti earthquake for 7 days of medical support.
METHODS:
We analyzed the characteristics of patients who visited our field clinic at the scene during the subacute period after the disaster.
RESULTS:
We treated 120 patients over 4 days, including two patients during the preparatory period. Most patients had visited a clinic in the second half of the period. Internal medicine and pediatrics were associated with the chief complaints of most patients. Acute tonsillitis had the largest number of patients(24.6%), followed by skin infections (9.2%), contusions and sprains(8.4%), and gastric ulcers (8.4%). Most of the medications were for conservative management(68.3%).
CONCLUSION:
During the subacute period after the earthquake, most patients had secondary injuries, such as wound complications and complications from air and water pollution, rather than direct injuries from the earthquake.
We recommend that more medical preparation than surgical preparation is required during subacute periods after an earthquake. |
| Key words:
Disaster, Medical assistance, Earthquake, Haiti |
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