NCJ Number
204472
Date Published
2004
Length
17 pages
Annotation
After explaining the psychosocial impacts of bioterrorist events, this paper discusses the implications for the "patient surge" on medical services and describes the use of self-assessment tools that can help prevent the demand for medical services by individuals who have not been exposed to bioweapons.
Abstract
The psychosocial impacts of bioterrorist events are diverse and pervasive, extending far beyond the victims who are actually exposed and ill from the attack, and including those individuals who perceive themselves or their family members as threatened or affected by the agent. Psychosocial disorders that lead to the seeking of medical help can stem from posttraumatic stress disorder, panic, specific fears, and "psychogenic illness" with symptoms that may mimic those associated with various chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear explosive (CBRNE) agents. This paper describes automated crisis health risk self-assessment tools designed to address the CBRNE patient surge and form the basis for a community crisis awareness system. Through the use of information technology (IT), these self-assessment tools can be used to screen large numbers of individuals rapidly, efficiently, and uniformly; can apply sophisticated algorithms and heuristics to the problem of differential diagnosis; and can adapt to evolving information and situations on a real-time basis. The authors envision this IT screening system as only one component of a larger strategy to respond to the various medical, psychological, and behavioral aspects of bioterrorism. When appropriately validated, the crisis health risk self-assessment tools could be expanded into a cost effective "all hazards approach" to inform and educate the public about their risks during various phases of such emergencies. 50 references