Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41136928›Full record

SynthesisBMC emergency medicine2025

Bridging the preparedness gap: a systematic review of recommended stockpile items for radiological and nuclear emergencies.

Matteo Nocci, Michelangelo Bortolin, Attila J Hertelendy, Eman Al Shaikh, Terri Davis, Marco Serale, Luca Ragazzoni, Fadi Issa, Stefano Romagnoli, David DiGregorio and 4 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC emergency medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Matteo NocciEuropean Commission, Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), Brussels, Belgium. matteo.nocci@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7265-938X
Michelangelo BortolinCRIMEDIM - Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.
Attila J HertelendyDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. ahertele@bidmc.harvard.edu.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6174-0289
Eman Al ShaikhDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6963-8112
Terri DavisDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1094-6855
Marco SeraleCRIMEDIM - Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4669-7044
Luca RagazzoniCRIMEDIM - Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2528-4375
Fadi IssaDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6208-0232
Stefano RomagnoliSection of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
David DiGregorioDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Jeffrey M FrancDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2421-3479
Janice Y KungGeoffrey & Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8676-8675
Amalia VoskanyanDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Gregory CiottoneDisaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3313-1379

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhile rare, radiological and nuclear (RN) emergencies pose complex challenges that require tailored preparedness strategies. A key aspect is the strategic stockpiling of medical countermeasures (MCMs), yet existing literature offers limited and fragmented recommendations regarding their appropriate composition.

methodsThis systematic review, conducted following PRISMA guidelines, aims to consolidate and critically appraise available evidence on stockpiling for RN emergencies. Seven databases and selected grey literature sources were screened from 2011 onward. Studies were included if they provided direct or indirect recommendations on stockpiling items. Data extraction was conducted in two steps by independent pairs of reviewers, and identified items were categorized as therapeutics, medical devices, personal protective equipment (PPE), or RN-specific equipment. Items were further analyzed for regulatory status, administration route, shelf-life, and storage requirements.

resultsThirty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. Therapeutics dominated the findings, with 50 distinct agents identified, most frequently potassium iodide, Prussian Blue, Ca-/Zn-DTPA, and hematopoietic growth factors such as filgrastim. In contrast, medical devices were not supported by a sufficient level of stockpiling recommendation, while PPE (6 of 32 articles) and RN equipment (14 of 32 articles) were cited less often. Pediatric considerations were rarely addressed, with 2 studies explicitly focused on this population. Gaps in operational guidance, regulatory harmonization, and standardized planning emerged across the literature.

conclusionsThis review highlights that stockpiling recommendations for RN emergencies remain limited, with greater guidance concentrated on a few therapeutics and little direction for other items. The findings provide an informative evidence base to support more consistent policy and preparedness planning.

Indexed as

Disaster PlanningRadioactive Hazard ReleaseStrategic StockpileEmergenciesHumansMedical stockpilingNuclear threatsRadiation exposureRadiological emergencies

Identifiers

PMID41136928
PMCPMC12551135

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.