Monash University, Department of Community Emergency, Health and Paramedic Practice, Alfred Hospital, Lower Ground Floor, Medical School Building, Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009 Dec;3 Suppl 2:S154-9. doi: 10.1097/DMP.0b013e3181be8250.
The H1N1 (swine influenza) 2009 outbreak in Victoria, Australia, provided a unique opportunity to review the prehospital response to a public health emergency. As part of Ambulance Victoria's response to the outbreak, relevant emergency response plans and pandemic plans were instigated, focused efforts were aimed at encouraging the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and additional questions were included in the call-taking script for telephone triage of emergency calls to identify potential cases of H1N1 from the point of call. As a result, paramedics were alerted to all potential cases of H1N1 influenza or any patient who met the current case definition before their arrival on the scene and were advised to use appropriate PPE. During the period of May 1 to July 2, Ambulance Victoria telephone triaged 1598 calls relating to H1N1 (1228 in metropolitan areas and 243 in rural areas) and managed 127 calls via a referral service that provides specific telephone triage for potential H1N1 influenza cases based on the national call-taking script. The referral service determines whether a patient requires an emergency ambulance or can be diverted to other resources such as flu clinics. Key lessons learned during the H1N1 outbreak include a focused need for continued education and communication regarding infection control and the appropriate use of PPE. Current guidelines regarding PPE use are adequate for use during an outbreak of infectious disease. Compliance with PPE needs to be addressed through the use of intra-agency communications and regular information updates early in the progress of the outbreak.
澳大利亚维多利亚州的 H1N1（猪流感）2009 疫情为审查院前应对公共卫生紧急事件提供了一个独特的机会。作为维多利亚救护车对疫情的反应的一部分，启动了相关的紧急应对计划和大流行计划，重点努力旨在鼓励使用个人防护设备（PPE），并在电话分诊的呼叫接听脚本中添加了额外的问题，以在呼叫时识别出潜在的 H1N1 病例。结果，护理人员在到达现场之前就会收到所有潜在的 H1N1 流感病例或任何符合当前病例定义的患者的警报，并被建议使用适当的 PPE。在 5 月 1 日至 7 月 2 日期间，维多利亚救护车电话分诊了 1598 个与 H1N1 相关的电话（1228 个在大都市区，243 个在农村地区），并通过提供特定电话分诊的转介服务管理了 127 个电话根据国家电话接听脚本，针对潜在的 H1N1 流感病例。转介服务确定患者是否需要紧急救护车或可以转至其他资源，如流感诊所。在 H1N1 疫情期间吸取的主要教训包括持续教育和沟通的重点需要针对感染控制和适当使用 PPE。关于 PPE 使用的现行准则足以应对传染病的爆发。需要通过在疫情进展早期使用机构内通信和定期信息更新来解决 PPE 的合规性问题。
