HHS Launches Online Toolkit for Responses to Radiation Emergencies

Apr 5, 2007 2:35 PM

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed a downloadable online diagnostic and treatment toolkit designed for health care providers, primarily physicians, who may have to provide medical care during a radiation incident.

A team of subject matter experts from the HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute and National Library of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated to develop and design the tool kit.

The new information package includes easy-to-follow procedures for diagnosis and management of radiation contamination and exposure, guidance for the use of radiation medical countermeasures, and other features to facilitate medical responses.

The kit is available on the Radiation Event Medical Management (REMM) Web site at REMM.NLM.GOV.

"The REMM toolkit is part of our effort to improve public health emergency preparedness and response," says HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. "It reflects the department's commitment to help instill a spirit of preparedness throughout our nation."

Guidance on diagnosis and treatment will help health care providers by describing:

• types of radiation emergencies they may face


• initial medical actions at the incident site and/or medical facility


• key steps in patient care

Information is presented in a format that will quickly and efficiently orient and guide health care providers during a mass casualty radiation event.

In addition to online access, federal, state and local medical response teams will be able to download REMM information on laptop computers for quick access when they are deployed to a radiation incident or for training sessions.

Users can also register for automatic e-mail updates whenever information is changed or added to the REMM Web site.

Future plans include formatting the REMM material for use on PDA devices, additional multimedia graphics, and more topic areas, such as follow-up patient care of radiation's chronic effects.

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