The needs and requirements of health and rescue workers in extreme environments will be highlighted at a one-day conference taking place in Inverness today (December 1).
The University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Rural Health is hosting the event, which will discuss the type of equipment that is required by those who work in challenging conditions, as well as the management of health emergencies in extreme environments.
Professor David Godden, Director for the Centre for Rural Health, said: “The conference brings together people who are involved in medical or health emergencies in extreme environments, particularly in cold climates.
“They include people who design equipment, clothing and kit that are used in extreme environments, as well as health workers.
“We will hear from speakers from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health who study various groups of people who live or work in exceptionally cold climates. We hope to hear how the type of clothing and equipment they use can make their job a little less challenging.
“We also have a vascular surgeon and anaesthetist from Sweden at the conference. They deal with emergencies, such as snow mobile accidents, in extremely cold conditions. We expect to hear about the management of hypothermia and the complications that come from dealing with an emergency in the cold.”
Other speakers include Blyth Wright, Director of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, who will discuss the challenges of the mountain environment, David Haggarty, a Leading Paramedic from the Scottish Ambulance Service and Dr Mike Langran, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Rural Health and an Aviemore GP, who will talk about innovations in mountain casualty management.
Delegates to the Health Challenges in Extreme Environments conference are expected to include GPs, mountain rescue personnel, ambulance workers and representation from BASICS – the British Association for Immediate Care, which is a teaching and learning organisation for GPs, which trains in the management of medical emergencies.
The conference is part of a 766,700 Euros project which is part funded by the European Union Northern Periphery Programme. The Centre for Rural Health is the Scottish partner in the project – the others are from Norway, Finland and Sweden.
The Extreme Weather Conditions Programme project connects people, within the Northern Periphery region, who have expert knowledge and experience related to extreme cold conditions.
Ultimately the project aims to improve the standard of living for those in the Northern Periphery area.