Papers by Stathis Avramidis
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2009
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2009
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2010
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2008
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2010
Resuscitation Plus, 2021
Background Drowning is a significant public health issue with more than 320,000 deaths globally e... more Background Drowning is a significant public health issue with more than 320,000 deaths globally every year. These numbers are greatly underestimated, however, due to factors such as inadequate data collection, inconsistent categorization and failure to report in certain regions and cultures. The objective of this study was to develop a standardised drowning dictionary using a consensus-based approach. Through creation of this resource, improved clarity amongst stakeholders will be achieved and, as a result, so will our understanding of the drowning issue. Methodology A list of terms and their definitions were created and sent to 16 drowning experts with a broad range of backgrounds across four continents and six languages. A review was conducted using a modified Delphi process over five rounds. A sixth round was done by an external panel evaluating the terms’ content validity. Results The drowning dictionary included more than 350 terms. Of these, less than 10% had been previously published in peer review literature. On average, the external expert validity endorsing the dictionary shows a Scale Content Validity Index (S-CVI/Ave) of 0.91, exceeding the scientific recommended value. Ninety one percent of the items present an I-CVI (Level Content Validity Index) value considered acceptable (>0.78). The endorsement was not a universal agreement (S-CVI/UA: 0.44). Conclusion The drowning dictionary provides a common language, and the authors envisage that its use will facilitate collaboration and comparison across prevention sectors, education, research, policy and treatment. The dictionary will be open to readers for discussion and further review at www.idra.world.
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2009
"Aim: Drowning casualties have sometimes reported near-death experiences (NDEs). Method: In ... more "Aim: Drowning casualties have sometimes reported near-death experiences (NDEs). Method: In this article, we review and suggest coping strategies that enable professional rescuers and lifeguards to provide more quality services to these individuals. We provide recommendations for the way that resuscitation should be performed, assuming that the casualty might be having an NDE, and for providing effective aftercare to an unconscious drowning casualty, a conscious casualty that cannot verbalize, and the recovered drowning casualty who had an NDE. Results-Discussion: Drowning is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, and it is likely that about 10-30% of successfully resuscitated drowning casualties have had NDEs (Greyson, 2000). Thus, it is logical to assume that water safety professionals may have overlooked the occurrence of NDEs in previous resuscitants and that they are best equipped to provide the highest quality care to future resuscitants if they are armed with NDE-related knowledge and skills. Information about NDEs can be helpful not only to resuscitants but also to water safety professionals themselves. Equipped with the above knowledge and skills, they can feel prepared for the occurrence of NDEs among their successful resuscitants and confident that they will be able to respond in a way that is most facilitative of the drowning casualty’s future psychological well-being. In addition, the great majority of reported NDEs suggest a profoundly pleasurable existence beyond physical death, one to which nearly all NDErs look forward to returning when their life’s work has been completed. Thus, lifeguards and lifesavers can rest in the knowledge that drowning casualties who remained conscious beyond the first few moments of the drowning process probably moved beyond an experience of terror into one of profound peace and pleasure. Perhaps most importantly, when water safety professionals inevitably encountered victims who could not be saved, they might very well be comforted to know that any ongoing conscious experience on the part of the victim was most likely of a profoundly pleasurable nature (Holden, in press). "
Through the centuries, artists have been inspired by the phenomenon of drowning. Ordinary people,... more Through the centuries, artists have been inspired by the phenomenon of drowning. Ordinary people, saints and historical figures have been threatened or have died by drowning. Although past research and previous scholarly work has documented very well what has been done in the past in terms of prevention and rescue of drowning, no previous effort has been dedicated to how artists perceived drowning and rescue in the past in terms of art. This article aims to show paintings depicting drowning episodes and rescue interventions from around the world in various periods of time.
that have been reported in the literature on the history of resuscitation. In particular, this re... more that have been reported in the literature on the history of resuscitation. In particular, this review presents remarkable resuscitation attempts, innovative techniques and landmarked events that enhanced resuscitation in terms of science, history and intervention from ancient times until today. The resuscitation methods were designed for victims needing help in various locations of three-dimensional space, with emphasis on those occurring on, or brought to, land. These methods required single or double rescues to be carried out. Some of them were either empirically or scientifically designed. In some techniques, the stimuli used to revive the victim were rather painful and dangerous or at least disturbing. In some techniques, respiration was attempted with various more or less sophisticated devices. Finally, a small number of cases have been mistakenly reported by several thousand published works that deal exclusively with this subject in terms of prevention, rescue and treatment. H...
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2009
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, Feb 1, 2008
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, Feb 1, 2012
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, Aug 1, 2011
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2008
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2007
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2009
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2007
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2009
The Open Sports Sciences Journal, 2018
Objective: The use of various rescue methods for coping with drowning as a subject of research is... more Objective: The use of various rescue methods for coping with drowning as a subject of research is scarce. Method: With a chi-square statistical analysis in a criterion/convenient sample of film scenes (n=430), it was aimed to reveal how the various rescue methods relate to the rescuer and other related sub-variables. Results confirm that cinematography indeed passes several right and wrong hidden messages to their viewers. It was also found that although the rescue type was not related with the rescuer’s age (p=0.836), body composition (p=0.437) and ethnicity (p=0.849), it was related with the type of the rescuer (if any) that attempted to save the drowning victim (p<0.001; i.e., amateur or professional), the rescuer’s gender (p=0.027) and clothing (p=0.019) and the victim’s early approach (p<0.001). Result: To the degree that our findings correspond with reality, film scenes may be used as means of water safety education in lifesaving and lifeguard classes.
Uploads
Papers by Stathis Avramidis