The influenza pandemic caused by the 2009 H1N1 virus underscores the immediate and critical need to prepare for a public health emergency in which thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people suddenly seek and require medical care in communities across the United States. Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations draws from a broad spectrum of expertise-including state and local public health, emergency medicine and response, primary care, nursing, palliative care, ethics, the law, behavioral health, and risk communication-to offer guidance toward establishing standards of care that should apply to disaster situations, both naturally occurring and man-made, under conditions in which resources are scarce. This book explores two case studies that illustrate the application of the guidance and principles laid out in the report. One scenario focuses on a gradual-onset pandemic flu. The other scenario focuses on an earthquake and the particular issues that would arise during a no-notice event. Outlining current concepts and offering guidance, this book will prove an asset to state and local public health officials, health care facilities, and professionals in the development of systematic and comprehensive policies and protocols for standards of care in disasters when resources are scarce. In addition, the extensive operations section of the book provides guidance to clinicians, health care institutions, and state and local public health officials for how crisis standards of care should be implemented in a disaster situation.

Catastrophic disasters occurring in 2011 in the United States and worldwide-from the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, to the earthquake in New Zealand-have demonstrated that even prepared communities can be overwhelmed. In 2009, at the height of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a committee of experts to develop national guidance for use by state and local public health officials and health-sector agencies and institutions in establishing and implementing standards of care that should apply in disaster situations-both naturally occurring and man-made-under conditions of scarce resources. Building on the work of phase one (which is described in IOM's 2009 letter report, Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations), the committee developed detailed templates enumerating the functions and tasks of the key stakeholder groups involved in crisis standards of care (CSC) planning, implementation, and public engagement-state and local governments, emergency medical services (EMS), hospitals and acute care facilities, and out-of-hospital and alternate care systems. Crisis Standards of Care provides a framework for a systems approach to the development and implementation of CSC plans, and addresses the legal issues and the ethical, palliative care, and mental health issues that agencies and organizations at each level of a disaster response should address. Please note: this report is not intended to be a detailed guide to emergency preparedness or disaster response. What is described in this report is an extrapolation of existing incident management practices and principles. Crisis Standards of Care is a seven-volume set: Volume 1 provides an overview; Volume 2 pertains to state and local governments; Volume 3 pertains to emergency medical services; Volume 4 pertains to hospitals and acute care facilities; Volume 5 pertains to out-of-hospital care and alternate care systems; Volume 6 contains a public engagement toolkit; and Volume 7 contains appendixes with additional resources.

When a nation or region prepares for public health emergencies such as a pandemic influenza, a large-scale earthquake, or any major disaster scenario in which the health system may be destroyed or stressed to its limits, it is important to describe how standards of care would change due to shortages of critical resources. At the 17th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, the IOM Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness sponsored a session that focused on the promise of and challenges to integrating crisis standards of care principles into international disaster response plans.

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This issue of Critical Care Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Marie Baldisseri, Mary Reed, and Randy Wax, in collaboration with Consulting Editor John Kellum, is devoted to Intensive Care Unit in Disaster. Topics in this issue include: Intensive care role in disaster management; Preparing the ICU for disaster; Augmenting capacity; Triage; Natural disasters; Biological/pandemic disasters; Chemical disasters; Radiation; Anthropogenic (terrorist/criminal act) disasters; Special populations (i.e., chronically ill, morbidly obese, pregnant); Pediatrics; Austere environments; Hospital as disaster Ground Zero; and Special considerations (i.e., mental health, ethics, public relations).

The first edition of conflict and catastrophe was produced in 2002 and a second, successful edition, followed in 2009. The decision to produce these works sprung from painful problems experienced by colleagues and authors themselves during many humanitarian and related deployments. The guide for both editions was to provide, in one volume, an entry level text covering all aspects of deployment, with an emphasis on medicine and healthcare in these environments. This third revised, expanded and updated edition of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine: A Practical Guide follows its successful predecessors in providing a framework for use by health professionals visiting a resource constrained environment. Encompassing problems brought about by local conflict or natural disasters, the book covers preparation, organisation, logistics, treatment of major trauma and medical emergencies, and the special problems of delivering medicine in a hostile environment. This book comprehensively tackles: Self-preparation of health professionals to face a range of medical and related problems which occur in hostile and remote environments; War and disaster medicine, covering acute management, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention; Bridging the fields of medicine, nursing, international relations, history, politics and economics. The book also touches on nutrition, infection, trauma, psychiatry and psychological medicine and training.

The war in Syria has lasted for many years and continues to cast a dark shadow over its people, including healthcare workers caring for those injured and in distress. During the war, healthcare workers have been exposed to unprecedented challenges, becoming targets of bombing, killing, siege, arrest, and torture. Moreover, healthcare workers continue to experience difficult situations that require them to make decisions with no clear or easy moral choice. The present study aimed to understand the experiences of healthcare workers and the difficulties and challenges that hinder applying existing ethical frameworks and codes for disasters within Syria’s context of revolution and war. Qualitative analysis of interviews led to classification of the ethical challenges experienced by healthcare workers into four groups: the risks from providing care; stewardship of resources and work challenges; corruption and organizational pressure; and psychological, emotional, and social stress. The study also showed that both Syrian healthcare workers and the developers of ethical frameworks adopt many similar values and principles. Yet, the participants adopted several unique moral values not identified in ethical frameworks as a result of navigating their professional duties under the circumstances of the Syrian war. At last, recognizing the challenges and precarious tasks healthcare workers cope with during wars and other similar disasters could help volunteers, medical personnel, and humanitarian organizations deciding to work in Syria better understand the specific context and obstacles for ethical decision-making. Moreover, attracting attention for and support of Syrian healthcare workers locally and globally presents a long-lasting benefit.

In evolving crises, managing teams often have little information and fewer resources. This book proposes a model for more effective decision making early in the evolution of a crisis, before disaster response plans are activated.

**American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards, 1st Place in Critical Care- Emergency Nursing, 2023** **Selected for Doody's Core Titles® 2024 in Emergency Care** Sheehy's Manual of Emergency Care, 8th Edition offers complete, up-to-date coverage of the essentials emergency nurses need to know. Each condition commonly seen in the emergency setting is thoroughly addressed, from signs and symptoms, to diagnosis, treatment, developmental considerations, patient education, and more. Updated material and easy-to-reference contents make this resource a must-have for current practice. - Quick-reference format is ideal for updating emergency nursing knowledge and improving patient care. - Detailed discussions for each condition include signs and symptoms, diagnosis/diagnostic testing, treatment/interventions, age/developmental considerations, and patient/family education/discharge instructions. - Authorship from the Emergency Nurses Association for more than 30 years ensures this book is a mainstay for best practices in emergency nursing. - Content presented in a bulleted format provides quick and easy access to vital information. - Practice points highlighted in special boxes offer quick reference to important content. - NEW! Restructured table of contents presents anatomically related medical and trauma chapters sequentially for quick reference. - NEW! Considerations for critical care in the ED. - NEW! Considerations for the transgender patient. - NEW! Section on human trafficking in the Interpersonal Violence and Abuse chapter. - NEW! Section on violent risk assessment in the Workplace Violence chapter. - NEW! Color photos insert visually highlights and clarifies key content. - EXPANDED! Substance Abuse and Addiction Emergencies chapter covers methamphetamines, bath salts, marijuana edibles, opioid abuse/prescription drug abuse, heroin/Narcan, and substance abuse disorder. - EXPANDED! Chapter on end-of-life includes information on palliative care considerations. - UPDATED! Infectious Diseases chapter addresses coronavirus 19 (COVID-19), Ebola, and vector-borne malaria.