Introduction — This topic includes links to guidelines related to health concerns following a disaster. We will update these guideline links periodically; newer versions of some guidelines may be available on each society's website.
The recommendations in the guidelines in this section may vary from those that appear in UpToDate topic reviews. Relevant UpToDate topic reviews, society guideline links topics, and patient education topics can be found below or by using the UpToDate search box. (See 'Related UpToDate topics' below.)
Guidelines
International
●World Health Organization (WHO): Environmental health
●Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
•[In Spanish] Technical guide for mental health in emergency and disaster situations (2016)
Australia-New Zealand
Canada
●Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP): Position paper on disaster preparedness
United States
●American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
•Disaster relief/disaster preparedness
•Treating patients in or recently returned from hurricane-affected areas
●American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Disasters and children
•Biological terrorism and agents
•Blast terrorism and explosions
•Chemical terrorism and agents
•Family separation and reunification in disasters
•Helping children cope and adjust after a disaster
•Newborn screening during emergencies
●American Burn Association (ABA): Disaster response – Guidelines for care in austere conditions
●American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP): Disaster medicine
●American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): Committee opinion on hospital disaster preparedness for obstetricians and facilities providing maternity care (2017, reaffirmed 2021)
●American College of Radiology (ACR): Disaster preparedness and response
●American Diabetes Association (ADA): Disaster relief
●American Thoracic Society (ATS): Disaster related resources
●American Trauma Society (ATS): Blast injury information
•Blast lung injury – An overview for prehospital care providers
•Crush injury and crush syndrome
•Post exposure prophylaxis for bloodborne pathogens
•Radiological dispersal devices and radiation injury
●Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
•Natural disasters and severe weather
•Explosions and blast injuries: A primer for clinicians
•Prevent illness and injury after a disaster
-Carbon monoxide poisoning after a disaster
-Explosions and blast injuries
-Information for specific groups
-Mold
-Trench foot or immersion foot
-Wound management for healthcare professionals
-Emergency responders – Tips for taking care of yourself
-Immunization recommendations for responders
-Response worker health and safety
●National Kidney Foundation (NKF): Emergency resources
●Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM): Disaster and emergency resources
●Wilderness Medicine Society (WMS): Clinical practice guidelines
Related UpToDate topics
Acinetobacter infection
● Acinetobacter infection: Epidemiology, microbiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnosis
● Acinetobacter infection: Treatment and prevention
Acute stress disorder
● Treatment of acute stress disorder in adults
● Society guideline links: Trauma-related psychiatric disorders in adults
● Patient education: Post-traumatic stress disorder (The Basics)
Anxiety
● Society guideline links: Anxiety and anxiety disorders in adults
● Society guideline links: Anxiety and trauma-related disorders in children
Biological and chemical weapons
● Chemical terrorism: Rapid recognition and initial medical management
● Topical chemical burns: Initial assessment and management
● Society guideline links: Chemical terrorism
Burns
● Assessment and classification of burn injury
● Emergency care of moderate and severe thermal burns in adults
● Overview of the management of the severely burned patient
● Moderate and severe thermal burns in children: Emergency management
● Topical agents and dressings for local burn wound care
● Treatment of minor thermal burns
● Treatment of superficial burns requiring hospital admission
● Society guideline links: Care of the patient with burn injury
● Patient education: Electrical burns (The Basics)
Carbon monoxide poisoning
● Patient education: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (The Basics)
Cholera
● Cholera: Clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
Compartment syndrome
● Acute compartment syndrome of the extremities
● Society guideline links: Extremity compartment syndrome
● Patient education: Acute compartment syndrome (The Basics)
Crush-related injury
● Rhabdomyolysis: Clinical manifestations and diagnosis
● Crush-related acute kidney injury
● Severe crush injury in adults
● Society guideline links: Acute kidney injury in adults
● Society guideline links: Acute kidney injury in children
● Patient education: Acute kidney injury (The Basics)
● Patient education: Rhabdomyolysis (The Basics)
Depression
● Unipolar depression in adults: Assessment and diagnosis
● Unipolar depression in adults: Choosing treatment for resistant depression
● Unipolar major depression in adults: Choosing initial treatment
● Society guideline links: Depressive disorders
● Patient education: Depression (The Basics)
● Patient education: Medicines for depression (The Basics)
● Patient education: Depression in adults (Beyond the Basics)
● Patient education: Depression in children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)
● Patient education: Depression treatment options for adults (Beyond the Basics)
● Patient education: Depression treatment options for children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)
Diarrheal illness
● Diagnostic approach to diarrhea in children in resource-rich countries
● Approach to the adult with acute diarrhea in resource-limited countries
● Approach to the adult with acute diarrhea in resource-rich settings
● Approach to the child with acute diarrhea in resource-limited countries
● Society guideline links: Acute diarrhea in adults
● Society guideline links: Acute diarrhea in children
● Patient education: Diarrhea in adolescents and adults (The Basics)
● Patient education: Diarrhea in children (The Basics)
● Patient education: Acute diarrhea in adults (Beyond the Basics)
● Patient education: Acute diarrhea in children (Beyond the Basics)
Drowning
● Drowning (submersion injuries)
Electrical injuries
● Electrical injuries and lightning strikes: Evaluation and management
Gynecologic problems
● Disaster settings: Care of gynecologic problems
Heat-related illness
● Exertional heat illness in adolescents and adults: Management and prevention
● Severe nonexertional hyperthermia (classic heat stroke) in adults
● Society guideline links: Exertional heat illness
● Society guideline links: Heat illness in children
● Patient education: Heat stroke (The Basics)
Hepatitis
● Hepatitis A virus infection in adults: Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis
● Hepatitis A virus infection: Treatment and prevention
● Overview of hepatitis A virus infection in children
● Patient education: Hepatitis A (The Basics)
Hypothermia
● Accidental hypothermia in adults
● Hypothermia in children: Management
● Patient education: Hypothermia (The Basics)
Immersion injuries
● Nonfreezing cold water (trench foot) and warm water immersion injuries
Immigrant and refugee health care
● Society guideline links: Health care for immigrants and refugees
Inhalational injury
● Inhalation injury from heat, smoke, or chemical irritants
Insects
● Society guideline links: Stinging insect allergy
Leptospirosis
● Leptospirosis: Epidemiology, microbiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis
● Leptospirosis: Treatment and prevention
● Patient education: Leptospirosis (The Basics)
Molds
● Assessment of mold in the indoor environment
● Society guideline links: Mucormycosis
Occupational and environmental health
● Overview of occupational and environmental health
● Society guideline links: Management of environmental emergencies
Post-traumatic stress disorder
● Approach to treating posttraumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents
● Management of posttraumatic stress disorder in adults
● Pharmacotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents
● Psychosocial interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents
● Psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder in adults
Pregnancy
● Disaster settings: Care of pregnant patients
Radiation injury
● Management of radiation injury
● Clinical manifestations, evaluation, and diagnosis of acute radiation exposure
Severe extremity injuries
● Severe lower extremity injury in the adult patient
● Severe upper extremity injury in the adult patient
● Surgical management of severe lower extremity injury
● Surgical management of severe upper extremity injury
● Society guideline links: Severe blunt or penetrating extremity trauma
Soft tissue infections following water exposure
● Soft tissue infections following water exposure
● Vibrio vulnificus infections
● Society guideline links: Skin and soft tissue infections
Tetanus
● Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunization in children 6 weeks through 6 years of age
● Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunization in children 7 through 18 years of age
● Tetanus
● Tetanus-diphtheria toxoid vaccination in adults
● Society guideline links: Tetanus infection
● Patient education: Tetanus (The Basics)
Trauma
● Initial evaluation and management of abdominal gunshot wounds in adults
● Initial evaluation and management of abdominal stab wounds in adults
● Initial evaluation and management of blunt abdominal trauma in adults
● Initial evaluation and management of blunt thoracic trauma in adults
● Initial evaluation and management of penetrating thoracic trauma in adults
● Initial management of trauma in adults
● Thoracic trauma in children: Initial stabilization and evaluation
● Trauma management: Approach to the unstable child
● Society guideline links: General issues of trauma management in adults
● Society guideline links: Pediatric trauma
● Society guideline links: Pelvic trauma
● Society guideline links: Penetrating neck injury
● Society guideline links: Thoracic trauma
Vaccination
● Society guideline links: Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccination
● Society guideline links: Immunizations in adults
● Society guideline links: Immunizations in children and adolescents
● Society guideline links: Travel medicine
Wounds
● Closure of minor skin wounds with staples
● Skin laceration repair with sutures
● Minor wound evaluation and preparation for closure
● Society guideline links: Minor wound management
● Patient education: Stitches and staples (The Basics)
● Patient education: Taking care of cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds (The Basics)
