We aimed to explore and create an evaluation model to assess hospital response capability for a public health emergency (PHE).

Grounded theory was used to construct a comprehensive evaluation index system. Combining with the index system and previous studies and policy documents, we investigated surge capability of hospitals in a PHE. The factor analysis method was used to establish the model.

The comprehensive evaluation system with 11 primary and 30 secondary indicators was constructed. A total of 89 secondary and tertiary hospitals were surveyed in China. The evaluation model (C = 0.587C1 + 0.151C2 + 0.140C3 + 0.122C4) was established. Four factors were identified, namely, preparation factor, treatment factor, emergency awareness factor, and prehospital first-aid factor.

A public health emergency could bring huge losses and a capable hospital response was necessary. There was an urgent need to evaluate hospital capability for a PHE.

This study examined the way organizations were involved in the response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, MERS) outbreak that occurred in Korea in 2015.

We collected organizational network data through a content analysis of online news articles and the government’s white paper. Social network analysis was used to analyze the key organizations and their connections in crucial response tasks.

Three national health authorities (Central MERS Management Headquarters [CMMH], Korea Centers for Disease Control [KCDC], Ministry of Health and Welfare [MOHW]) led the response. CMMH, which did not appear in the government’s response plans, played a significant role in all 3 networks. KCDC also was involved in all 3 networks, but was most prominent in the laboratory testing network. MOHW appeared only in the patient management network. Each health authority coordinated and collaborated with distinctive types of organizations in the networks, but unclear lines of responsibilities also were found.

The study demonstrated that the roles and responsibilities of health authorities at the national level were fragmented and lacked clarity. Public health emergency preparedness must consider carefully the way to establish collaborative response systems.

In the Philippines, morbidity control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is done through mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelmintics to school-age children (SAC). In 2013, the Philippines was devastated by the deadliest cyclone ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan. The study aimed to understand the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on the MDA of anthelmintics to SAC in the provinces of Capiz and Iloilo in the Philippines from the perspectives of local health and education officials.

The study was conducted in the municipalities of Panay and Pilar in Capiz and the municipalities of Estancia and Sara in Iloilo, areas that were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Qualitative, semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with 16 total participants, which included officials of the Department of Health, Department of Education, and concerned local government units. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded in an open, iterative manner. Codes were reviewed to identify patterns and themes.

Participants described the following themes: (1) their perception that the typhoon had no effect on the MDA program or on resources necessary to complete the program; (2) the program’s simple design allowed for 1-time administration to a pre-assembled population; (3) the program allowed a sense of community cohesiveness; (4) the program served as a vehicle for altruism, particularly regarding helping needy children, in this time of calamity.

Our informants perceived that the MDA program in Region VI was not affected by Typhoon Haiyan. They attributed the resilience to the program’s simple procedure, attitudes of altruism, program importance, and community cohesiveness. Despite Typhoon Haiyan’s mass destruction of infrastructure and livelihood leading to incredible challenges, mobilization of the community allowed for the continuation and successful implementation of the MDA program. The experience of Region VI may serve as a model for other low- and middle-income countries prone to natural disasters.

Uttarakhand is an Indian state in the Himalayan foothills, a favored adventure destination in the country due to abundant natural beauty. However, the terrain has also conferred an increased risk of earthquakes, flash floods, and major road tragedies, resulting in as many as 8 major natural disasters in the state in the preceding 20 years. AIIMS Rishikesh, an autonomous central institute, has been entrusted to build a Level 1 Trauma Center in Uttarakhand, which would help improve the response, coordination, and hence outcome in mass casualty scenarios (MCSs).

As a step toward the achievement of this larger goal, a workshop on MCS and management was conducted by the Department of Trauma Surgery in collaboration with Rambam Hospital, Haifa. We hereby present our template for conducting MCS drills in low resource settings like ours and the lessons learnt.

Process, logistics, limitations, workforce, scheduling, overview, and report of the MCS drill conducted are discussed hereafter.

This template may be replicated by hospitals that intend to conduct similar MCS drills in low resource settings, realizing the real threat of MCS occurrence in our country at anytime.

The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of emergency medicine physicians at academic medical centers across the United States as well as their background training, roles in the hospital, and compensation if applicable for time dedicated to preparedness.

A structured survey was delivered by means of email to 109 Chairs of Emergency Medicine across the United States at academic medical centers. Unique email links were provided to track response rate and entered into REDCap database. Descriptive statistics were obtained, including roles in emergency preparedness, training, and compensation.

Forty-four of the 109 participants responded, resulting in a response rate of 40.4%. The majority held an administrative role in emergency preparedness. Formal training for the position (participants could select more than 1) included various avenues of education such as emergency medical services fellowship or in-person or online courses. Of the participants, most (93.18%) strongly agreed that it was important to have a physician with expertise in disaster medicine assisting with preparedness.

The majority of responding academic medical center participants have taken an active role in hospital emergency preparedness. Education for the roles varied though, often consisted of courses from emergency management agencies. Volunteering their time for compensation was noted by 27.5%.

Women and men are assigned roles and responsibilities based on their gender in all contexts. Measuring gender-based differences through gender analysis can help understand who will be at greater risk in disasters. Thus, the present study is aimed to develop a valid and reliable gender analysis tool to collect accurate and necessary gender-disaggregated information in disaster-affected regions.

A mix method approach using qualitative and quantitative studies was applied for conducting this study. A total of 20 people affected by the earthquakes and floods and 10 key informants were interviewed in the qualitative stage. The validity and reliability of the tool were measured using the experts as well as women and men living in the destroyed villages of Razavi Khorasan province during the quantitative stage. The Graneheim approach and SPSS software were used to analyze the data collected in both stages.

At the first stage, 7 categories were extracted from the data, namely, livelihood status, social status, health, household/family management, reconstruction, welfare and educational facilities, and disaster prevention. The results of content validity ratio (0.69) and content validity index (0.88) confirmed that the tool is valid. The amount of Cronbach’s alpha (0.75) and test-retest (0.83) examination indicated that the tool was also reliable. The results of content validity and reliability measurements approved that the gender analysis tool can be applied for postdisaster gender analysis surveys.

It is highly suggested to use the information provided by the gender analysis tool for future disaster management plans, programs, and policies in health systems.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors related to flood preparedness literacy and the relationship between flood preparedness literacy and behaviors.

A quantitative descriptive correlational study. The sample included 134 people residing in a central Thai province. Descriptive statistics, point-biserial correlation coefficient, and Spearmanʼs rank correlation were used in the data analysis.

The results revealed that the factors related to flood preparedness literacy with a statistical significance were marital status (rpb = 0.207; P < 0.01), hearing ability (r = 0.197; P < 0.05), instrumental activities of daily living (r = 0.226; P < 0.01), and social support (r = 0.388; P < 0.01). Flood preparedness literacy was correlated with flood preparedness behaviors (r = 0.281; P < 0.01).

The factors related to flood preparedness literacy as mentioned above should be assessed to identify vulnerable groups for specific care provision. Furthermore, nurses should promote these factors to contribute to effective responses during flood disasters.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the readiness of a tertiary medical cityʼs response to a disaster by assessing the hospital resources and knowledge, attitudes, practices, and familiarity of health care providers toward disaster and emergency preparedness.

All KFMC (King Fahad Medical City) staff with > 1 year of clinical experience were eligible to participate in a cross-sectional study. Participants responded to the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ), knowledge and practice questionnaires, and a disaster planning attitude checklist. Data about resources were collected using the hospital disaster preparedness self-assessment tool.

The overall mean knowledge score for disaster and emergency preparedness was 4.4 ± 1.1, and the mean overall familiarity score was 3.43 ± 0.97. Most participants knew that disaster drills (90.2%) and training (74.6%) are ongoing. Sixty-six (21.0%) agreed that KFMC is unlikely to experience a disaster. The highest and lowest EPIQ familiarity scores were for decontamination (83.0%) and accessing critical resources and reporting (64.3%), respectively. Most participants (99.4%) have access to work computers; however, only 53.0% used the Internet to access information on bioterrorism and/or emergency preparedness. The hospital is ready to respond in case of a disaster according to the used tool.

The participants’ levels of knowledge, practices, and overall familiarity toward emergency and disaster preparedness were satisfactory; however, participant attitudes and familiarity with where and how to access critical resources in the event of an emergency or disaster situations require reinforcement.

The aims of this study were to examine the preparedness of vulnerable people ages 75 years and older and to clarify the characteristics of older adults that are associated with disaster preparedness.

We conducted interviews with persons requiring special care ages 75 years and older living in coastal communities of western Japan, where earthquakes and tsunami disasters are a concern. The survey included participant characteristics such as demographic indicators, physical function, health status, community involvement, and disaster preparedness. Binomial logistic regression analysis was performed with participant characteristics as independent variables and disaster preparedness as the dependent variables.

The characteristics related to disaster preparedness were age, family composition, cognitive function, level of interaction with neighbors, and participation in community activities.

Being female, living alone, and having cognitive impairment were factors that led to decreased disaster preparedness. However, it was suggested that close human interactions in the community facilitated preparedness. Community engagement is crucial in reducing disaster damage and recovering effectively. In order to facilitate preparedness measures for persons requiring special care ages 75 and older, it is important to establish community preparedness.

Nursing education plays a significant role in preparing nurses for disasters; it helps in increasing their knowledge about disasters. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitude of nursing educators in Jordan toward the integration of disaster preparedness contents in nursing curricula.

A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used. The instrument comprises 51 Likert-scale items; 150 questionnaires were distributed to nursing educators in all of the private and government universities. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), version 22 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY).

One hundred thirty-one (131) results were collected with an 87% response rate. All participants perceived that the integration of a disaster course in nursing curricula is quite important. Findings indicated a lack of nursing educators’ life experiences regarding disaster management. No significant differences were found in terms of age, area of experience, or years of teaching. Incorporating disaster management courses into nursing curricula will help resolve the lack of knowledge.

Nursing educators have a low level of knowledge in disaster management. This highlights the necessity for preparing nursing educators for disasters by encouraging their participation in disaster management training. Therefore, they will circulate this information adequately to students accordingly.

Social media provides an opportunity to engage in social contact and to give and receive help by means of online social networks. Social support following trauma exposure, even in a virtual community, may reduce feelings of helplessness and isolation, and, therefore, reduce posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), and increase posttraumatic growth (PTG). The current study aimed to assess whether giving and/or receiving offers of help by means of social media following large community fires predicted PTS and/or PTG.

A convenience sample of 212 adults living in communities that were affected by large-scale community fires in Israel (November 2016) completed questionnaires on giving and receiving offers of help by means of social media within 1 mo of the fire (W1), and the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and PTG questionnaire (PTGI-SF), 4 mo after the fire (W2).

Regression analyses showed that, after controlling for age, gender, and distance from fire, offering help by means of social media predicted higher PTG (β = 0.22; t = 3.18; P < 0.01), as did receiving offers of help by means of social media (β = 0.18; t = 2.64; P < 0.01). There were no significant associations between giving and/or receiving offers of help and PTS.

Connecting people to social media networks may help in promoting posttraumatic growth, although might not impact on posttraumatic symptoms. This is one of the first studies to highlight empirically the advantages of social media in the aftermath of trauma exposure.

The aim of this study is to develop an integrated definition and a conceptual model covering the dimensions of disaster literacy.

A systematic literature review was conducted to identify the definitions and conceptual frameworks of disaster literacy. The content analysis of definitions and conceptual frameworks were conducted to identify the central dimensions of disaster literacy and to develop an integrated model.

In this study, 8 disaster literacy definitions and 4 conceptual model studies related to disasters were found. In line with these studies, a comprehensive definition of disaster literacy was presented. In addition, based on content analysis, a 16-matrix integrative conceptual model of the mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery dimensions of disaster literacy, and the access, understanding, appraisal, and application areas of disaster information processing were developed.

In this study, a comprehensive definition and conceptual framework of disaster literacy were presented in an integrated model. By using this model, practices that are special to the phases of a disaster can be identified and supported in society. In addition, the model can contribute to empirical studies by providing the basis for the development of tools to measure disaster literacy.