To evaluate the effectiveness of the Hospital Disaster Management (HDM) Skill Training Program (STP), focusing on the learning and behavior of nurse educators.

The study design was a randomized control trial with a pre-test and post-test control group with blinding of the outcome assessor. The sample includes nurse educators in selected collegiate nursing institutions, with 30 participants in the experimental and control groups. The training was delivered in a hybrid mode, and participants were randomly assigned to groups. The training was validated using the Delphi technique. Learning was assessed using a questionnaire measuring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the experimental and control groups.

The STP on HDM significantly improved the experimental group’s knowledge (t value = 4.581, P = 0.001), Skill (t value = 3.136, P = 0.003), Attitude (t value = 2.093, P = 0.003), and Behavior (t value = 9.34, P = 0.001).

HDM is a global necessity, and the study highlights the effectiveness of the STP on HDM, underscoring the importance of equipping health care professionals, especially nurses, with essential disaster management skills.

This study exploratively analyzed the associations of well-being with psychological characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and the number of relocations after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Using a cross-sectional study design, an online questionnaire survey was administered to 416 residents of Fukushima and Tokyo each aged 20-59 years (832 in total) between August 25 and 26, 2018, which was 7 and a half years after the disaster. Categorical factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed to investigate associations of 5 well-being scales (positive emotion, negative-free emotion, life satisfaction and general happiness, positive characteristics, and positive functioning) with psychological characteristics, SES, and the number of relocations.

Four of the well-being scales, except for negative-free emotion, were strongly associated with each other and showed similarities in the strength of their associations with psychological characteristics and SES. Among the items surveyed, psychological distress, mindfulness, and marital status were strongly associated with well-being among Fukushima residents. Contrarily, radiation risk perception or the number of relocations were not significantly associated with well-being.

Focusing on psychological distress is expected to have a significant impact on improving well-being after the disaster. In addition, assistance in avoiding unintended family separation may be helpful.

To examine opinions about incentives for vaccination against COVID-19.

A qualitative study was conducted in spring 2022. The study population consisted of pairs of university students and their parents throughout Serbia. The qualitative content analysis was applied.

A total of 18 participants (9 student-parent pairs) were included. The following themes were identified: 1) Attitudes about financial incentives for vaccination, 2) Non-financial incentives for vaccination, and 3) Suggestions to enhance vaccination coverage. Theme 1 comprised several subthemes: General response to money, Dissatisfaction with financial incentives, Satisfaction with financial incentives and Amount of money to change people’s opinion. Most parents and some students expressed a clear dissatisfaction and disapproval of the concept of financial incentives for compliance with vaccination. Financial offers would not make our participants change their position on whether to receive the vaccine, as no major differences in attitude towards vaccinations between the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated study participants was observed. Non-financial incentives were more acceptable compared to financial ones, but they were also seen as beneficial for some and not others.

Financial incentive programs’ potential for inefficiency and public mistrust make other methods to boost vaccine uptake better public health choices for now.

Disaster response plans play a major role in mitigating the impact of climate-related disasters on community food access. This study examined existing disaster response plans in 5 US locations that experienced the costliest hurricanes since 2017 (states: Florida, Texas, Louisiana; territories: Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands) to assess how existing disaster response plans and response efforts address food-related issues across 4 key domains: availability, accessibility, agency, and acceptability.

A content analysis of disaster response plans was conducted. Disaster response plans were complemented by a review of gray literature and media sources examining the post-hurricane aftermaths. Disaster plans were coded using a deductive analysis approach guided by the Disaster Food Security Framework.

The analysis revealed significant disparities in planning and resources between territories and states. Findings highlight political and structural drivers of disparities in food access, particularly in US territories. State-mandated procedures resulted in a consistent level of effectiveness in their food distribution strategies.

These disparities underscore the need for targeted policy reforms and enhanced federal support to ensure equitable food security during disasters.

To describe the protocol and progress of a thyroid study using thyroid ultrasonography in emergency workers who responded to the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Thyroid ultrasonography was performed on Fukushima emergency workers at over 60 health examination institutions. The accuracy of ultrasonography is controlled by standard procedural protocols, examiner training, and a central review system. Thyroid findings are classified into 4 categories: Category A1 (no nodule or cyst), Category A2 (nodules ≤ 5.0 mm and/or cysts ≤ 20.0 mm), Category B (nodules ≥ 5.1 mm and/or cysts ≥ 20.1 mm), and Category C (requires immediate further examination). Participants classified as Categories B or C are recommended for secondary examination.

Among 3398 participants with available ultrasound images obtained at the first health examination between January 2016 and October 2023, 45.2 % were classified as Category A1, 39.2 % as Category A2, 15.5 % as Category B, and 0 % as Category C. Of the 207 participants for whom secondary examination results were available, seven were diagnosed with cancer or suspected cancer.

An accuracy control system of thyroid ultrasonography has been established which will continue to carefully investigate the thyroids of Fukushima emergency workers.

This study assessed compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout in health care providers from public health care institutions in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2022, involving 111 different public health care institutions in 23 provinces in Ecuador, with 2873 participants recruited via convenience sampling. The survey instrument was the revised Stamm’s Professional Quality of Life Scale Version-5 tool, designed to measure self-reported compassion fatigue, work satisfaction, and burnout among providers. Kruskall-Wallis test assessed subscale score differences by gender, professional role, region, and health care facility level. Dunn’s test was then applied to determine whether groups differed from each other.

On average, health care providers from all facilities had a high rate of compassion satisfaction (84.9%). However, the majority presented moderate levels of burnout (57.1%), and moderate levels of secondary traumatic stress (59.6%). Higher burnout levels were observed in the Amazon regions compared to Coastal regions.

Despite high compassion satisfaction, most surveyed health care providers from Ecuador’s public health institutions experienced moderate burnout and secondary traumatic stress, with higher burnout levels in the Amazon region. Ecuador, similarly to other LMICs, requires mental health policy and legislation targeted to the mental health workforce and these needs. More research is needed on burnout factors among health care providers in resource-challenged low- and middle-income countries.

We conducted interviews with state epidemiologists involved in the state-level COVID-19 response to understand the challenges and opportunities that state epidemiologists and state health departments faced during COVID-19 and consider the implications for future pandemic responses.

As part of a broader study on policymaking during COVID-19, we analyzed 12 qualitative interviews with state-epidemiologists from 11 US states regarding the challenges and opportunities they experienced during the COVID-19 response.

Interviewees described the unprecedented demands COVID-19 placed on them, including increased workloads as well as political and public scrutiny. Decades of under-funding and constraints posed particular challenges for meeting these demands and compromised state responses. Emergency funding contributed to ameliorating some challenges. However, state health departments were unable to absorb the funds quickly, which created added pressure for employees. The emergency funding also did not resolve longstanding resource deficits.

State health departments were not equipped to meet the demands of a comprehensive COVID-19 response, and increased funding failed to address shortfalls. Effective future pandemic responses will require sustained investment and adequate support to manage on-going and surge capacity needs. Increased public interest and skepticism complicated the COVID-19 response, and additional measures are needed to address these factors.

This study aimed to examine the regional impact of COVID-19 on severe trauma patients in South Korea.

This study utilized Community-based Severe Trauma Survey data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The average treatment effect (ATE) of COVID-19 on severe trauma patients by region was determined using doubly robust estimation (DR). Subgroup analysis was conducted for the greater Seoul area, metropolitan cities in rural areas, and rural areas.

Significant differences were observed in the general characteristics of participants before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly in the mechanisms of injury and types of hospitals to which they were transported. DR revealed that the probability of death among severe trauma patients was higher in metropolitan cities in rural areas than in other regions.

The greater impact of COVID-19 on severe trauma patients in metropolitan cities in rural areas is attributed to their higher population density and the inability of emergency medical systems to manage the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, future national policies related to emergency medical care should focus on enhancing the capacity for managing infectious diseases in large-scale metropolitan cities.

We studied posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and disorder (PTSD), associated factors, and quality of life (QOL) of a group of passengers (n = 58) affected by the 2023 Odisha train accident, comparing it with health professionals (n = 42) such as doctors and nurses who treated them, and individuals from the local community (n = 65). We also checked the anxiety and depression of passengers.

In a cross-sectional study, we assessed accident experience and used the PTSD checklist, WHO-QOL-BREF, General Anxiety Disorder, and Patient Health Questionnaire scales.

The PTSS were common; specifically, intrusive memories (36.4%), feeling upset while reminded of the experience (33.9%), and avoidance of memories (30.9%). Strong negative feelings, loss of interest, feeling distant, and irritability or anger outbursts were significantly more common among passengers than others. PTSD was present in 20.7% of passengers, 19.0% of health professionals, and 7.7% of local participants. Seeing dead bodies significantly contributed to PTSD. Clinical levels of anxiety (58.3%) and depression (50%) were present in passengers, which were significantly associated with PTSD, along with fear of death. Passengers had the worst QOL and health satisfaction among the groups.

Following the train accident, stress-related psychiatric problems were common and highlighted the intervention needs of the affected people.

A public health emergency was declared for the opioid crisis in 2017 and remains in place. Between 2017-2024, there were 164 billion dollar disasters. People who use drugs (PWUDs) are highly susceptible to disasters; however adaptive capacity of opioid treatment programs (OTP) is not well understood. Identifying and addressing gaps to increase resilience and reduce morbidity and mortality among PWUDs is critical.

A semi-structured interview guide with 8 questions was developed to assess how disasters impact service provision and other aspects of OTPs. OTP leaders, government officials, community health navigators, and advocates received an email invitation to complete an interview via Zoom. Transcripts were independently hand coded to inductively identify themes.

Eleven interviews were completed. Four themes were identified including client challenges securing housing and reliable transportation, disaster-related communication barriers, stigma around help seeking, and issues related to policies and practices such as regulations and insurance coverage that are inflexible during a disaster.

Disruptions to OTPs during disasters require preparedness planning adaptations like more flexible guest dosing. The ongoing public health emergency of the opioid epidemic and the increasing frequency and severity of climate and weather emergencies requires adaptations to a highly regulated system to address vulnerabilities.

The use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) has a disproportionate impact on civilians. Many humanitarian organizations utilize varying sheltering guidelines to recommend safe positions for civilians affected by explosive threats. It is not known whether these recommendations are standardized or derived from evidence. This study aimed to identify existing recommendations and potential gaps in literature relevant to sheltering guidelines for civilians during explosive events.

A scoping review was conducted of the literature including indexed databases and grey literature to identify reports that described sheltering guidelines for civilians during explosive events. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodology was followed.

The search identified 3582 peer-reviewed records. After title/abstract and full text screening, only 2 peer-reviewed reports remained eligible. These were combined with 13 gray literature reports obtained from humanitarian organizations and internet searches. The peer-reviewed reports included mine and unexploded ordnance guidelines, not guidelines for EWIPA or aerial bombardments. There is a substantial knowledge gap and heterogeneity in existing sheltering guidelines from explosive events, particularly those appropriate for protection from EWIPA.

Findings from this scoping review demonstrate a need for the creation and standardization of evidence-based civilian sheltering guidelines to mitigate the threat of explosive weapons to civilians in conflict.

This study examines how post-disaster meal provisions evolve with shelter size and over time to better support evacuees’ dietary needs.

Analysis was conducted on 96 dietary assessment sheets from the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, categorized by 3 shelter scales and time elapsed since the disaster. Differences in meal types and dish categories were compared using the Z test. Focus was placed on meal provision details and dietary considerations for vulnerable evacuees.

In the early stages, some shelters provided meals only twice daily. However, over time, boxed meals became more common, while the proportion of hot meal services decreased. Ready-to-eat foods-based meals predominantly consisted of “grain-based dishes” across all weeks and shelter sizes. Larger shelters tended to have fewer dietary considerations for vulnerable evacuees.

Continuous hot meal services may not be sustainable, suggesting a shift toward well-balanced boxed meals from vendors. Larger shelters faced challenges with unhealthy dietary behaviors and inadequate nutritional support for vulnerable evacuees. The findings can help municipalities develop concrete disaster nutrition plans considering disaster phase and shelter size.

This study aims to determine the factors associated with pregnant women’s perceived stress and coping styles after the devastating earthquake in Turkey.

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 419 pregnant women between March 15 and May 15, 2023. Data were collected through the “Personal Information Form,” the “Perceived Stress Scale,” and the “Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale.”

In this study, while the variables of employment status (P = 0.045) and number of pregnancies (P = 0.004) affected perceived stress, the variables of age (P = 0.049), income status (P = 0.003), place of residence (P = 0.036), and employment status (P = 0.001) were found to affect coping skills with earthquake stress. The Religious Coping sub-scale was a predictive factor on perceived stress (P = 0.002). In addition, a negative and linear relationship was found between the mean total score of the Perceived Stress Scale, the “Religious Coping” (P = 0.006, r = -0.134), “Positive Reappraisal” (P = 0.031, r = -0.106), and the total score of Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale (P = 0.005, r = -0.135).

This study found that there were some factors affecting the perceived stress and coping strategies of women after the earthquake, and the pregnant women used coping skills more as their perceived stress decreased; especially, they used religious coping and positive reappraisal strategies more.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a mental health crisis in adolescents. To evaluate resource needs, we attempted to collect data from Children’s Health Fund’s national network of pediatric practices working in resource-limited settings.

Data could not be collected largely due to other disaster response priorities for our network. Using a STROBE flowchart, we characterize the inability to collect data, provide insight into network challenges, and offer this report as a case example for the limitations in collecting data during disaster response.

Only 2 of 24 programs had the capacity and the data to participate. Causes of non-participation included shifting work toward other aspects of disaster response, limiting collection of data, or lack of human resources to extract it.

Disaster disproportionately affects under-resourced communities. The lack of resources impairs disaster response due to conflicting priorities in those working within these communities.