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Applied Ergonomics Apr 2023Ensuring that pool lifeguards develop the skills necessary to detect drowning victims is challenging given that these situations are relatively rare, unpredictable and...
BACKGROUND
Ensuring that pool lifeguards develop the skills necessary to detect drowning victims is challenging given that these situations are relatively rare, unpredictable and are difficult to simulate accurately and safely. Virtual reality potentially provides a safe and ecologically valid approach to training since it offers a near-to-real visual experience, together with the opportunity to practice task-related skills and receive feedback. As a prelude to the development of a training intervention, the aim of this research was to establish the construct validity of virtual reality drowning detection tasks.
METHOD
Using a repeated measures design, a total of 38 qualified lifeguards and 33 non-lifeguards completed 13 min and 23 min simulated drowning detection tasks that were intended to reflect different levels of sustained attention. During the simulated tasks, participants were asked to monitor a virtual pool and identify any drowning targets with accuracy, response latency, and dwell time recorded.
RESULTS
During the simulated scenarios, pool lifeguards detected drowning targets more frequently and spent less time than non-lifeguards fixating on the drowning target prior to the drowning onset. No significant differences in response latency were evident between lifeguards and non-lifeguards nor for first fixations on the drowning target.
CONCLUSION
The results provide support for the construct validity of virtual reality lifeguarding scenarios, thereby providing the basis for their development and introduction as a potential training approach for developing and maintaining performance in lifeguarding and drowning detection.
APPLICATION
This research provides support for the construct validity of virtual reality simulations as a potential training tool, enabling improvements in the fidelity of training solutions to improve pool lifeguard competency in drowning detection.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Attention; Reaction Time
PubMed: 36566527
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103954 -
Turkish Thoracic Journal Nov 2021Drowning is a process of submersion and can lead to respiratory failure. Annually, there are an estimated 320 000 deaths worldwide due to drowning, in addition to...
OBJECTIVE
Drowning is a process of submersion and can lead to respiratory failure. Annually, there are an estimated 320 000 deaths worldwide due to drowning, in addition to nonfatal drowning events. There are limited data for respiratory failure due to drowning and its prognosis in Turkey. The aim of this study was to identify the therapeutic modalities used for acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to drowning, and its prognosis in hospitalized patients.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
All adult drowning cases (according to the International Classification of Disease (ICD) diagnosis code) who were admitted to either the emergency department (ED) or the intensive care units (ICU), or the pulmonology inpatient clinics between 2008 and 2018 were included in the study. Data for demographic characteristics, radiologic evaluations, respiratory support and mechanical ventilation, hospital stay duration, and hospital mortality were retrospectively collected from hospital records.
RESULTS
A total of 117 patients (47 females, 70 males, mean age: 57.3 years) were included in the study. The drowning accidents most commonly occurred in summer (86.3%). Of them, 31 victims (26.4%) were admitted to ICU due to severe respiratory failure. The mean pH was 7.32, and PaO2 was 69.13 mmHg in the arterial blood gas at admission. Invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilation were performed in 24.7% and 25.6% of the patients respectively. The PaO2/FiO2 of 106 patients (who had accessible FiO2 values) were >300 in 12 (11%), 201-300 in 32 (30%), 101-200 in 49 (46%), and <100 in 13 (12%) patients. Bilateral opacities were observed in 85.4% of the patients. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 8 (6.8%) patients. The hospital mortality rate was 6%.
CONCLUSION
The present study results show that with appropriate therapeutic and support strategies, respiratory failure due to drowning can be treated successfully.
PubMed: 35110264
DOI: 10.5152/TurkThoracJ.2021.21086 -
BMC Public Health Feb 2022Incompleteness of fatal drowning statistics is a familiar problem impeding public health measures. Part of the problem may be that only data on accidental drowning are...
INTRODUCTION
Incompleteness of fatal drowning statistics is a familiar problem impeding public health measures. Part of the problem may be that only data on accidental drowning are used and not the full potential of accessible data.
METHODS
This study combines cause-of-death certificates and public prosecutor's court documents between 1998 and 2017 to obtain an aggregated profile. Data are also used as a basis for a trend analysis.
RESULTS
The dataset includes 5571 drowned persons (1.69 per 100,000). The highest risk group are persons above the age of 50. Demographic differences are observed between suicide by drowning, accidental drowning, and drowning due to transportation (0.72, 0.64, 0.28 per 100.000) and between native Dutch, and Dutch with western and non-western background (1.46, 1.43, 1.76 per 100.000). Non-residents account for another 12.2%. When comparing the periods 1998-2007 with 2008-2017, the Standard Mortality declines for suicide drowning and accidental drowning among persons with a native Dutch and non-western background. Single regression analysis confirms a decrease of drowning over the full period, breakpoint analysis shows an increase in the incidence of the total number of drowning, suicide by drowning and accidental drowning starting in 2007, 2008 resp. 2012.
DISCUSSION
Compared to the formal number of fatal accidental drowning in the Netherlands (n = 1718; incidence 0.52 per 100,000), the study identifies 350% more drowning. Differences in demographic data and the recent increase needs to be explored for public health interventions.
Topics: Drowning; Ethnicity; Humans; Incidence; Netherlands; Suicide
PubMed: 35177025
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-12620-3 -
BMC Public Health Sep 2023Drowning is one of the leading causes of death among children and youth worldwide. This study aims to examine differences in the rates of drowning (fatal and non-fatal...
OBJECTIVE
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death among children and youth worldwide. This study aims to examine differences in the rates of drowning (fatal and non-fatal drowning) among children and youth in Israel stratified by age, sex, sector, place of drowning, and the drowning outcome. In addition, we compared the results of studies reported in other countries in specific age groups based on statistics of about 100,000 drowning cases.
METHOD
A statistical analysis of 474 drownings between 2008 and 2018 was conducted. All cases refer to youngsters aged 7-17 in the State of Israel. Statistical analysis was performed on data obtained from the Beterem - Safe Kids Israel organization and from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Disparities between groups within the examined population were analyzed based on gender, sector (Jewish versus non-Jewish), and drowning site.
RESULTS
Of the 474 drownings that occurred during 2008-2018, 38.4% ended in death. 79% of the cases occurred in pools. The Arab minority sector (21.1% of the general population) accounted for 25.1% of all drownings, males accounted for 70.5% of the drowning cases, and the age group with the most drownings (48.5%) was that of 15-17 years. The Jewish population was involved in more than 75% of drownings in places designated for bathing and in more than 83% of all disaster scenarios, whereas the Arab minority was involved in more than 61% of drownings in places not designated for bathing.
CONCLUSIONS
The results are comparable to those of other studies worldwide. Boys drown twice as much as girls, mainly in the age group of 15-17. This may be explained by overconfidence in boys and a tendency to overestimate their actual swimming abilities. Most drownings occur in pools. Drowning among the Jewish population occurs mainly in designated bathing sites.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The findings can and, in fact, must be used to inform and educate the younger generation as to the potential dangers involving bathing in designated bathing sites.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Adolescent; Child; Drowning; Israel; Arabs; Disasters; Jews
PubMed: 37658286
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16671-y -
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Jun 2022This study examined all known diving-related fatalities in Queensland, Australia, from 2000 to 2019 to determine likely causes and potential countermeasures. (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
This study examined all known diving-related fatalities in Queensland, Australia, from 2000 to 2019 to determine likely causes and potential countermeasures.
METHODS
Data were extracted from the Australasian Diving Safety Foundation fatality database, including previously published reports. The National Coronial Information System was searched to identify diving-related deaths in Queensland for 2014-2019 and data were extracted, analysed, and combined with previously published data covering the period 2000-2013. Descriptive statistics and parametric and non-parametric tests were used to analyse these data.
RESULTS
There were 166 snorkelling and 41 scuba victims identified with median ages of 59 and 49 years respectively, and 83% of snorkel and 64% of scuba victims were males. One quarter of snorkel and 40% of scuba victims were obese. Two-thirds of the snorkellers and three quarters of scuba divers were overseas tourists. Contributory predisposing health conditions were identified in 61% of snorkel and 50% of scuba victims. Nine scuba victims died on their first dive.
CONCLUSIONS
The increase in snorkelling deaths likely reflects increased participation, higher age, and poorer health. The main disabling condition in both cohorts was cardiac-related. Pre-existing health conditions, poor skills, inexperience, poor planning, supervision shortcomings and lack of effective buddy systems featured in both cohorts, and apnoeic hypoxia in breath-hold divers. Suggested countermeasures include improved education on the importance of health and fitness for safe diving and snorkelling, increased emphasis on an honest and accurate pre-activity health declaration and subsequent implementation of appropriate risk mitigation strategies, improved supervision, better buddy pairing, and on-going education on the hazards of extended apnoea.
Topics: Australia; Autopsy; Cause of Death; Diving; Drowning; Female; Humans; Male; Queensland
PubMed: 35732283
DOI: 10.28920/dhm52.2.108-118 -
Australian and New Zealand Journal of... Jun 2021This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and risk factors contributing to drowning among migrants in Australia.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and risk factors contributing to drowning among migrants in Australia.
METHODS
A total population retrospective epidemiological study of unintentional drowning deaths in Australia between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2019 of people born outside Australia (migrants). Cases were extracted from the National Coronial Information System. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and relative risk were calculated. Crude drowning rates were based on country of birth and population in Australia.
RESULTS
There were 572 migrant deaths over the study period, 28.9% of total drowning deaths, 82.9% were male. Twenty-one per cent were aged 25-34 years and 40.8% had lived in Australia for 20+ years. Migrants at highest risk of drowning were from: South Korea (2.63/100,000 95%CI: 0.85-8.25), Taiwan (2.29/100,000 95%CI: 0.27-13.44), and Nepal (2.15/100,000 95%CI: 0.23-11.55). Migrants were more likely to drown when around rocks (p<0.001) compared with Australian-born people, who most frequently drowned in rivers (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Migrants are not over-represented in drowning statistics. However, unique trends were found for drowning among migrants based on country of birth and length of time in Australia. Implications for public health: Holistic drowning prevention strategies and policies are required to effectively lower drowning risk among migrant communities.
Topics: Accidents; Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Australia; Drowning; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Distribution; Transients and Migrants
PubMed: 33900674
DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13102 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2021Drowning is public health issue requiring global, national and community responses. The multisectoral nature of drowning prevention reinforces the need for...
Drowning is public health issue requiring global, national and community responses. The multisectoral nature of drowning prevention reinforces the need for multidisciplinary research, which can play a key role in identifying patterns, factors and interventions and contributes to evidence-informed prevention. This study presents a biometric analysis of drowning research published in 1995-2020 and identifies temporal trends in research themes, journals, countries and authorship to assist in the planning of future research. This study identified 935 studies, representing authors from 80 countries. Publications grew 103-fold, and 41.2% ( = 385) were published since 2014. The top 20 journals are all injury prevention, public health, or medical journals. The top 5 accounted for 24.5% ( = 229) of total publications (TP). Research from the United States (TP = 313, 25.0%) and Australia (TP = 192, 15.3%) dominates the field. Growth is highest in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) including China (TP = 54, 4.3%, 32-fold), India (TP = 30, 2.4%, 17-fold) and Bangladesh (TP = 47, 3.7%, 7-fold). The study identifies significant growth in epidemiologic studies reporting burden and risk factors. Research in LMICs is increasing but lags relative to the burden. The role of multilateral and nongovernment organisations in evidence generation is evident and needs investigation, as do gaps in evidence for interventions and partnerships to progress the drowning prevention field.
Topics: Australia; Bangladesh; Bibliometrics; China; Drowning; Humans; India; United States
PubMed: 33923578
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18084234 -
Injury Prevention : Journal of the... Dec 2019To examine the change in the racial disparity in drowning in Florida from 1970 to 2015 and to analyse the contextual factors associated with white, black and Hispanic...
OBJECTIVES
To examine the change in the racial disparity in drowning in Florida from 1970 to 2015 and to analyse the contextual factors associated with white, black and Hispanic drowning rates in Florida from 2007 to 2015.
METHODS
Our outcome variable is county-level annual drowning rates by race, ethnicity, sex and age group. We computed county-level contextual data, including emergency weather events, temperature, extreme weather, number of pools, quality of pools, coastline, swimming participation rates and prominent black competitive swim teams.
RESULTS
Between 1970 and 1990, the disparity in drowning rates between white and black males in Florida decreased dramatically. By 2005, the overall age-adjusted drowning rates converged. This convergence was most striking for those aged 10-34 and 35-64. While the gap has declined dramatically, there remains a racial disparity in drownings among those aged 10-34.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, racial disparities in drowning have disappeared in Florida. However, some disparities remain. There is a persistent disparity in drownings among those aged 10-34.
Topics: Accidents; Adolescent; Adult; Black or African American; Age Factors; Child; Databases, Factual; Drowning; Ethnicity; Female; Florida; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Seasons; Swimming; Swimming Pools; White People; Young Adult
PubMed: 30352797
DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2018-042872 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2022Medical conditions can increase drowning risk. No prior study has systematically reviewed the published evidence globally regarding medical conditions and drowning risk... (Review)
Review
Medical conditions can increase drowning risk. No prior study has systematically reviewed the published evidence globally regarding medical conditions and drowning risk for adults. MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO (ProQuest) and SPORTDiscus databases were searched for original research published between 1 January 2005 and 31 October 2021 that reported adult (≥15 years) fatal or non-fatal drowning of all intents and pre-existing medical conditions. Conditions were grouped into the relevant International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) codes. Eighty-three studies were included (85.5% high-income countries; 38.6% East Asia and Pacific region; 75.9% evidence level III-3). Diseases of the nervous system (n = 32 studies; 38.6%), mental and behavioural conditions (n = 31; 37.3%) and diseases of the circulatory system (n = 25; 30.1%) were the most common categories of conditions. Epilepsy was found to increase the relative risk of drowning by 3.8 to 82 times, with suggested preventive approaches regarding supervised bathing or showering. Drowning is a common suicide method for those with schizophrenia, psychotic disorders and dementia. Review findings indicate people with pre-existing medical conditions drown, yet relatively few studies have documented the risk. There is a need for further population-level research to more accurately quantify drowning risk for pre-existing medical conditions in adults, as well as implementing and evaluating population-level attributable risk and prevention strategies.
Topics: Adult; Baths; Databases, Factual; Drowning; Epilepsy; Humans; Suicide
PubMed: 35886717
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148863 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2022Drowning is considered amongst the top 10 causes of unintentional death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, anti-drowning systems that can save...
Drowning is considered amongst the top 10 causes of unintentional death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, anti-drowning systems that can save lives by preventing and detecting drowning are much needed. This paper proposes a robust and waterproof sensor-based device to detect distress in swimmers at varying depths and different types of water environments. The proposed device comprises four main components, including heart rate, blood oxygen level, movement, and depth sensors. Although these sensors were designed to work together to boost the system's capability as an anti-drowning device, each could operate independently. The sensors were able to determine the heart rate to an accuracy of 1 beat per minute (BPM), 1% SpO, the acceleration with adjustable sensitivities of ±2 g, ±4 g, ±8 g, and ±16 g, and the depth up to 12.8 m. The data obtained from the sensors were sent to a microcontroller that compared the input data to adjustable threshold values to detect dangerous situations. Being in hazardous situations for more than a specific time activated the alarming system. Based on the comparison made in the program and measuring the time of submersion, a message indicating drowning or safe was sent to a lifeguard to continuously monitor the swimmer' condition via Wi-Fi to an IP address reachable by a mobile phone or laptop. It is also possible to continuously monitor the sensor outputs on the device's display or the connected mobile phone or laptop. The threshold values could be adjusted based on biometric parameters such as swimming conditions (swimming pool, beach, depth, etc.) and swimmers health and conditions. The functionality of the proposed device was thoroughly tested over a wide range of parameters and under different conditions, both in air and underwater. It was demonstrated that the device could detect a range of potentially hazardous aquatic situations. This work will pave the way for developing an effective drowning sensing system that could save tens of thousands of lives across the globe every year.
Topics: Cell Phone; Drowning; Humans; Microcomputers; Swimming; Swimming Pools
PubMed: 35161813
DOI: 10.3390/s22031059