The risk of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) incidents is increasing due to terrorism, technological advancements, conflicts, and emerging diseases. Hospitals, as critical response centers, face unique challenges during such events. Comprehensive training is crucial to ensure effective response and protect both patients and staff. This scoping review assesses the effectiveness of CBRNE training in enhancing knowledge, competencies, and preparedness among hospital-based health care providers.

Comprehensive searches were conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and CINAHL using targeted keywords. Papers were screened using Covidence. Data were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of various training methods used in hospital settings.

A total of 23 papers were included in this review. Training effectiveness was reported in 91% of the reviewed articles. Nurses were the predominant group participating in hospital-based training programs. Tabletop exercises were the most commonly used training method, and biological hazards were the most frequent scenario type. No study identified a single superior method for improving training effectiveness.

CBRNE training incorporating diverse modalities improves health care providers’ knowledge and competencies. Enhanced preparedness supports better responses to disasters, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes and public safety.

This study examined public attitudes and experiences in using the Internet for first aid guidance in real-life medical emergencies.

The study involved: (1) an analysis of YouTube comments (n = 6,786) on first aid videos using latent Dirichlet allocation topic modeling; (2) a survey of completers of an online Basic Life Support course (n = 731).

Topic modeling of social media comments revealed users’ frustration with unskippable advertisements, reflecting a collective perception of online videos as a source of immediate advice on first aid in real-life emergencies. According to the survey data, 14.6% of respondents sought online first-aid instructions during a real-life emergency. An additional 8.9% reported similar experiences among friends or relatives. Of those who searched for advice, 90.7% found and implemented instructions. Most respondents showed readiness to attempt this in future as they believe it could be lifesaving.

The existing public demand for, and continued use of, the Internet as a source of advice on first aid, the risks arising from laypeople’s reliance on information of questionable quality, and the potential usefulness of authoritative digital guidance for instances where other means of assistance are unavailable constitute an intricate public health issue that requires attention and comprehensive solutions.

This study explored the prevalence and attributes of triage errors made by emergency responders during virtual reality simulations of mass casualty incidents.

The study analyzed errors made by 99 emergency responders during their triage and treatment of a mass casualty incident in virtual reality. Responders received training on the Sort, Assess, Life-saving Intervention, Treatment, Transport (SALT) protocol, then responded to a virtual bombed subway station. Responder accuracy, efficiency, and application of treatments were tracked. Error analysis was performed through the lens of human factors. Accordingly, errors were categorized by their nature: either perception, proficiency, or procedure.

Responders correctly triaged 70% of virtual patients, and 78% demonstrated relative efficiency. Interaction times between responders and patients averaged 20 seconds. The time to assess and treat all patients for life-threatening bleeding injuries across the entire scene averaged six minutes. Most errors were related to proficiency (e.g., competence or experience). However, procedural errors (shortcomings of SALT) and perceptual errors (degraded sensory input from programmed environmental chaos, i.e., virtual smoke/debris and louder sound) were also observed. Most errors were related to patients with either respiratory issues or multiple injuries.

Virtual reality (VR) offered a controlled environment for studying errors made by emergency responders in a mass casualty incident, which will lead to improved training and protocols to better prepare them for these events.

To compare and analyze COVID-19 control outcomes, including case severity, vaccination, and excess mortality, across 6 nations (USA, UK, China, Russia, Japan, and South Africa) from January 2020 to December 2022.

This study utilized data from the “Our World in Data” dataset to characterize the epidemiological features of COVID-19 across 6 countries. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were employed to examine the associations between Stringency Index (SI), vaccination coverage, and epidemiological outcomes.

The USA had the highest median cases per million and the UK the highest deaths per million, while China reported the lowest for both. Hospitalization and ICU rates were highest in the UK and the USA, respectively, and lowest in Japan. Vaccination coverage was highest in China and lowest in South Africa. Excess mortality was highest in Russia and lowest in Japan. Generalized linear models indicated a negative association between the SI and cases in China (β = −40, P = 0.015), which became stronger after adjusting for vaccination (β = −311, P < 0.001), but positive associations were observed in the USA, UK, and South Africa. SI was negatively associated with excess mortality in most countries.

Effective pandemic control is highly context-dependent. The relationships among vaccination, variant prevalence, and health care burden were complex, shaped by implementation context, public compliance, and health care capacity.