This study was carried out to determine the effects of post-earthquake trauma levels of nursing students on their academic motivation and career decisions.

The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 228 students studying at Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University, Department of Nursing. The data were collected using an online questionnaire created by the researchers. This online questionnaire form consists of seven questions about socio-demographic characteristics, and it also includes the Determination of Post-Earthquake Trauma Levels Scale, Academic Motivation Scale, and Career Decision Scale. SPSS 23.0 package program was used for the analysis of the data, and P < 0.05 was accepted for the level of significance.

It was determined that the post-earthquake trauma level of the students was above the moderate level (63.49 ± 17.29) and that the extrinsic motivation-identified regulation, extrinsic motivation-external motivation, and intrinsic-knowledge levels were more affected by the earthquake (P < 0.05). In addition, it was determined that the mean Career Decision Scale score of the students (74.20 ± 17.35) was below the average.

It was determined that post-earthquake trauma level had positive effects on intrinsic motivation-stimulation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation, but had no effect on career decision.

Earthquakes rank among the most deadly natural disasters, and children are particularly affected due to their inherent vulnerability. Following an earthquake, there is a substantial increase in visits to emergency services. These visits stem not only from patients seeking care for physical traumas resulting from the earthquake and its subsequent complications, but also from individuals affected by the circumstances created by the disaster.

This study aims to determine the characteristics and outcomes of children who presented to the pediatric emergency department (PED) after the earthquake and to evaluate children who had crush injuries at a referral tertiary university hospital away from the earthquake area.

The medical records of children who presented to the PED from the earthquake area from February 6 through March 7, 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Children rescued from under rubble were categorized as Group 1, those affected by earthquake conditions as Group 2, and patients seeking medical attention due to the follow-up of chronic illnesses were considered as Group 3. Patient data, including sociodemographic characteristics, time period under rubble (TPR), laboratory findings, and details of medical and surgical procedures, developing acute kidney injury (AKI), and the requirement for hemodialysis were recorded.

A total of 252 children were enrolled in the study, with 52 (20.6%) in Group 1, 180 (71.4%) in Group 2, and 16 (6.0%) in Group 3. The median age was six (IQR = 1.7-12.1) years. In the first group (n = 52), 46 (85.2%) children experienced crush injuries, 25 children (46.3%) developed crush syndrome, and 14 of them (14/25; 56.0%) required dialysis. In the second group, the most common diagnoses were upper respiratory tract infections (n = 69; 37.9%), acute gastroenteritis (n = 23; 12.6%), simple physical trauma (n = 16; 8.8%), and lower respiratory tract infections (n = 13; 7.1%). For children in the third group, pediatric neurology (n = 5; 33.3%), pediatric oncology (n = 4; 25.0%), and pediatric nephrology (n = 3; 18.8%) were the most frequently referred specialties.

Crush injuries, crush syndrome, and AKI were the most common problems in the early days following the earthquake. Along with these patients, children who were affected by the environmental conditions caused by the earthquake, as well as children with chronic illnesses, also accounted for a significant portion of visits to the PED, even if they were distant from the disaster area.

Precautions taken before an earthquake are of vital importance. When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceiling crushes objects such as furniture, leaving a space or void within the rubble. This area is called the “triangle of life.” The larger and stronger the object, the more it will maintain its volume; the more the object maintains its volume, the larger the void will be, and the less likely it is that the person who uses this void will be injured.

Durable, solid furniture such as beds and tables that can be tipped over during an earthquake in appropriate areas in the building can form a living triangle. Creating and using the triangle of life is the method of protection in an earthquake that produces the highest probability of survival.

Two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 occurred in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, on February 6, 2023. This report presents the case of a 43-y-old female victim of these earthquakes who used the triangle of life to survive; she was removed from the rubble 164 h after the earthquake.

The case provides evidence that predetermining areas in which the triangle of life can be formed and storing supplies necessary for survival can decrease morbidity and mortality in an earthquake.

This study focuses on adults affected by the February 2023 Turkey earthquakes, aiming to uncover demographic and clinical traits.

A retrospective analysis of data from adult patients who sought emergency care between February 6 and February 21, 2023, following the earthquakes, was conducted.

Among 3072 patients, 1544 (50.3%) of whom were women, trauma (31.1%) was the most prevalent cause of emergency department presentations. The median age of all patients was 44 y (interquartile range [IQR] 31-61 y). Hatay province accounted for 65.2% of trauma patients as origin. Most of the patients (66.8%) presented to the emergency department by their own means, while this was opposite for trauma patients, of whom 54.5% was transferred by means of Ambulance Service. Half of the total trauma patients were rescued from the debris, and 75.9% sustained limb injuries. Crush syndrome affected 24.7%, and emergency hemodialysis was performed on 9.1%, whereas emergency surgery was performed on 22.8% of all trauma cases. Overall, 10.2% of trauma patients lacked any identification. The rate of emergency department admittions due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases was higher at the time of the earthquake compared with the previous year (P < 0.001).

The insights gained from this study hold valuable implications for disaster response strategies, emphasizing the importance of preparedness, timely intervention, and comprehensive patient care.

This research was conducted in order to assess the 1-week aid needs determined by the health professional who voluntarily served in the WhatsApp communication network during the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.

This descriptive retrospective epidemiological study focuses on the 1-week messaging activities of the WhatsApp group created by volunteers after the earthquake in Turkey. During the 7-day period included in the research, a total of 5813 messages were sent. 3472 of these messages were not included in the research for various reasons, and a total of 2341 messages were used for the research.

In all 7 days, it was seen that most of the messages were sent via text message and that voice messages were very few. When the distribution of the needs demanded by the earthquake victims for 7 days was examined, it was seen that there was a significant increase in the needs on the fourth day after the earthquake, and that the highest increase was the need for tents.

While the demands for rescue services increased in the first 2 days, it was determined that the demands for water especially, dry food, and tents increased from the third day onwards. It is suggested that a professional online infrastructure system should be created to enable the transfer of instant scene and need information that can be activated in such disasters.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes can have a significant impact on cancer treatment and care. The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychological effect of the earthquake on survivor cancer patients compared to regular cancer patients.

Cancer patients who were evacuated from earthquake sites and referred for the continuation of their treatment, as well as regular resident patients were included in the study. The resident cancer patients were compared with the study population as a control group. DASS-21 forms were filled based on patients’ declarations.

Forty-six patients were earthquake survivors and 55 were resident cancer patients. Stress scores were significantly higher in earthquake survivors (P = 0.021). In contrast, there was no difference in stratified groups due to DASS-21 categorization in stress scores while depression and anxiety subgroups had significant differences (P = 0.012; P < 0.001). Also, women significantly had a worse outcome in the depression and anxiety categories (P = 0.028; P = 0.021) while no difference was observed in men.

Recent earthquakes in Turkey had psychological negative effects on oncology patients. The increased stress, depression, and anxiety levels were observed in earthquake survivors who were evacuated from the disaster zone and compared to the control group.

In Turkey, a total of 269 earthquakes took place from 1900 through 2023. The most devastating earthquakes in terms of casualties and extensive destruction occurred at 4:17am and 1:24pm local time on February 6, 2023 with the epicenters located in Pazarcik (Kahramanmaras) and Ekinozu (Kahramanmaras) and magnitudes of 7.7Mw and 7.6Mw, respectively. The aim of this study was to define the frequency of lung complications that occurred directly and/or developed during the intensive care follow-up of individuals affected by the Kahramanmaras earthquakes.

A retrospective evaluation was conducted on the files of 69 patients who were rescued from the debris of collapsed buildings after the Kahramanmaras earthquakes and followed up in the intensive care unit in terms of the time under the debris, demographic data, vital signs, and lung complications that were present at the time of admission and developed during follow-up. SPSS for Windows v. 20.0 was used for data analysis.

The study included a total of 69 patients, of whom 29 (42%) were female and 40 (58%) were male. The mean age was 39.9 (SD = 16.9) years. The mean time under the debris was 53.9 (SD = 52) hours, and the mean time from rescue to the intensive care unit admission was 18.7 (SD = 12.8) hours. One or more pulmonary complications were detected in 52.2% (n = 36) of the patients at the time of admission. During the follow-up, 30.4% (n = 21) of the patients developed pulmonary congestion, 13.0% (n = 9) pneumonia, 1.5% (n = 1) alveolar hemorrhage, and 1.5% (n = 1) atelectasis, while no additional lung complications developed in the remaining 37 patients (53.6%).

Severe cases of individuals recovered from the debris can have a high prevalence of earthquake-related lung disorders and chest trauma, which may be associated with high mortality. The timely identification and effective intervention of pulmonary complications that may develop during follow-up can reduce mortality.

The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes struck the north-eastern part of Türkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023. It is well known that timely coordination and provision of emergency medical care in the field is particularly important to save lives after earthquakes. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by medical responders on the ground.

This exploratory-descriptive qualitative study was conducted in Hatay, the province most affected by the earthquakes. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and field observations, and then analyzed using thematic analysis approach.

The study was carried out with 15 first responders from the medical profession. The study revealed 9 themes of challenges faced by medical responders: providing safety and security, human resources management, meeting personal needs, recording data, communication, patient transport, burial procedures, psychological acumen, and logistical problems. Some problems were resolved after 72 h and some continued until day 7.

Inadequate organization of volunteer health workers, communication breakdowns, and logistical problems are some of the main challenges. To address these issues, satellite phones and radio systems can be promoted, as well as disaster-resilient logistical planning and better coordination of volunteers.

Indonesia is located within the Asia-Pacific Ring of Fire, so natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, and landslides are common. Preparedness is essential to prevent many casualties due to various disasters.

The Aceh, Indonesia earthquake and tsunami in 2004 was one of the most devastating disasters since the 1990s. Some of the victims were children. This is because there was no pattern of preparedness in dealing with disasters when the incident took place; even the word tsunami was not familiar in Indonesia at that time. Thus, the preparation of a disaster preparedness and safety curriculum began to be implemented in Indonesia after the Aceh earthquake and tsunami.

The disaster preparedness and safety curriculum in early childhood education is developed in accordance with the potential and characteristics of the school area. Basic disaster material provided concepts, characteristics and threats, maps, ways of overcoming, and disaster preparedness and security. Facilities and infrastructure supporting disaster preparedness learning used disaster puzzles, disaster posters, songs about disasters, and prayers asking God for help to be protected from disasters.

This case series aims to provide a comprehensive description of the utilization of doppler ultrasonography (USG) and computerized tomography angiography (CTA) in evaluating patients with earthquake-induced crush injuries in the emergency department (ED).

This retrospective case series was conducted on 11 patients who presented with crush injuries following a seismic event. These patients underwent initial assessment using doppler USG, with CTA performed when deemed necessary. Clinical outcomes and diagnostic findings were systematically reviewed.

A cohort of 11 earthquake-related crush injury patients (six females, five males; age 3-59 years), predominantly with lower extremity injuries, with entrapped durations that ranged from 12 to 128 hours. Transport centers received patients from both affected regions and nearby provinces. Initial X-rays identified fractures in two cases. Doppler USG and subsequent CTA were employed for vascular evaluation, with CTA confirming doppler USG findings. Of the 11 patients, five exhibited abnormal doppler USG findings. Four patients required dialysis and four underwent amputation surgery. Fasciotomy and debridement procedures were performed in five and seven patients, respectively. Three patients received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

Doppler USG emerged as a dependable tool for assessing vascular injuries in earthquake-related crush injuries, offering an effective alternative to CTA without the associated contrast agent risks. These findings underscore the need for further research to establish definitive imaging guidelines in these challenging clinical scenarios.

It is well known that natural disasters such as earthquakes negatively affect physical and mental health by exposing people to excessive stress. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants of psychosocial health status among the pregnant and postpartum women who experienced earthquake in Türkiye.

Pregnant and postpartum women (n = 125) living in tent cities in the Kahramanmaraş region formed the study sample. Data were collected between February 20 and 26, 2023, through face-to-face interviews. The instruments used for data collection were the Introductory Form, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Traumatic Childbirth Perception Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder–Short Scale.

A moderate positive relationship was found between stress and posttraumatic stress and traumatic childbirth perception in pregnant and postpartum women, and a high positive relationship was found between anxiety and depression. A high level of relationship was found between anxiety and stress and depression.

It is seen that the psychosocial health of pregnant and postpartum women, who belong to the risk group in the earthquake zone, is at high risk. Psychological support is urgently needed to preserve and improve their psychosocial health.

The aim of this study is to determine the demographic, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of the patients who applied to the emergency department (ED) of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Hospital (Antalya, Türkiye) after the Kahramanmaraş-Pazarcık earthquake dated February 6, 2023, as earthquake victims were included in the study. The results of the study could be a guide in terms of emergency health services and the healthy management of disasters.

The study included patients over the age of 18 who presented as earthquake victims to the ED of Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital from February 6, 2023 through March 8, 2023. The demographic data of the patients, including age, gender, earthquake zone, time and manner of arrival to the ED, time under debris, length-of-stay (LOS) in the service and intensive care unit (ICU), infection rates, culture results, and mortality, were retrospectively analyzed using the hospital automation system.

A total of 1,833 earthquake victims presented to the ED. Of these patients, 1,294 were adults and 539 were children. Services and the ICU admitted a total of 137 adult patients. In the first week, 414 (31.99%) of the patients presented to the ED, while 82 (59.85%) of the hospitalized patients were admitted.

Hatay ranked first with 573 (44.28%) patients in the distribution of patients presented to the ED according to earthquake regions. In the distribution of hospitalized patients by earthquake regions, the patients requiring the most hospitalization were from the province of Hatay, with 68 (49.63%) patients.

During hospital observations, the medical staff took 132 culture samples based on the positive clinic of the patient. The microorganisms detected in the culture studies were different from the flora of the hospital. The mortality at seven days was two (1.45%), and at the end of 30 days, the mortality was six (4.37%).

The ED evaluated all affected cases, with most patients being brought by their relatives using their own means, and had low mortality rates despite presenting with fewer injuries. New environmental conditions that developed after the earthquake caused unexpected results, especially in terms of community-acquired agents.

After the 2023 Turkey earthquake, thousands of people evacuated to different fields. Earthquake victims still need health care in the evacuation location. This study aims to determine the emergency department (ED) and outpatient clinic utilization characteristics of the evacuated earthquake victims outside the earthquake zone and to provide suggestions for planning the health care facilities in the regions where the evacuated earthquake victims will be placed.

This retrospective, observational study was conducted in a tertiary university hospital from February 7, 2023 through February 20, 2023. All evacuated earthquake victims who presented to the study hospital were included in the study. Non-victim patients were included as the control group. Missing medical records were excluded. Demographic characteristics of the patients, outpatient clinics, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10th Revision (ICD-10) codes, and outcomes were recorded.

A total of 15,128 patients were included in the final analysis. Six-hundred-nine (4.0%) of the patients were evacuated victims. Three-hundred forty-six (56.8%) evacuated victims used the ED. One-hundred fifty-six (25.6%) earthquake victims were in the pediatric age group. Earthquake victims used the ED more than the control group in adult and pediatric age groups (22.5% versus 51.7% and 30.2% versus 71.8%; P <.001, respectively). Earthquake victims frequently presented to the hospital during night shifts in both age groups (P <.05). Pediatric victims were more hospitalized than the control group (4.8% versus 10.9%; P = .001). Diseases of the respiratory system were the most common emergency diagnosis of the victims in both age groups (26.5% and 57.1%, respectively). The most frequently used outpatient clinic was ophthalmology in both age groups (14.6% and 20.5%, respectively).

Evacuated victims, especially pediatric victims, used the ED more than other outpatient clinics. Diseases of the respiratory system were the most common emergency diagnosis of the victims, and the most frequently preferred outpatient clinic was ophthalmology. The most common diseases and frequently preferred clinics should be considered in planning health care for the evacuated earthquake victims.