Emergency Preparedness Activities Research Articles

Organisational learning from the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a qualitative interview study.

System learning from major incidents is essential for enhancing preparedness for responding to future adverse events. Sharing learning not only stimulates further improvements, preventing the repetition of mistakes, but may also promote collaboration and the adoption of evidenced-based best practises. As part of a qualitative interview study designed to explore lessons learned, this paper describes the experiences and perspectives of 30 staff from the public health agency responsible for the national COVID-19 response in the United Kingdom. The focus of the interviews was on enabling factors and practises that worked well, as well as those that were more challenging, and which, if addressed, could improve responses to future infectious disease incidents. The interviews elicited valuable insights across various thematic areas that could inform emergency preparedness activities for future infectious disease outbreaks. The outcomes of this study, while integral for the UK agency responsible for public health, extend beyond organisational boundaries and contribute to a broader spectrum of activities aimed at facilitating global learning from the COVID-19 response.

Development of analytical model for managing emergency preparedness and response system to nuclear power facility accident

In this work, a control model of the emergency preparedness system for nuclear and radiation accidents was synthesized, a block diagram of the control system of the emergency preparedness system for nuclear and radiation accidents was developed, and the control vector of the emergency preparedness system for nuclear and radiation accidents was determined to achieve the required performance indicator of target emergency preparedness and response activities.

NACSD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OLDER ADULT DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY

Abstract This presentation shares the recommendations drafted by the National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters (NACSD). This federal advisory committee provides advice and guidance to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the HHS Secretary. The NACSD is comprised of seven non-federal members with expertise in geriatric disaster planning, preparedness, response, or recovery and ten federal (non-voting) members who are ex officio representatives from agencies within HHS and other Executive Branch departments. The voting members drafted recommendations intended to address the immediate and persistent challenges in public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery affecting older adults in the United States. Numerous meetings with federal and non-federal subject matter experts from various disciplines were held to develop the recommendations. The NACSD was also tasked with evaluating issues and programs and providing findings, advice, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to support and enhance all-hazards public health and medical preparedness, response, and recovery activities related to meeting the unique needs of older adults and their families across the entire spectrum of their wellbeing. The NACSD evaluated and provided input concerning the medical and public health needs of older adults related to preparation for, response to, and recovery from all-hazards emergencies; and may provide advice and consultation with respect to State emergency preparedness and response activities relating to older adults.

CDC Division of Reproductive Health's Emergency Preparedness Resources and Activities for Radiation Emergencies: Public Health Considerations for Women's Reproductive Health.

Pregnant, postpartum, and lactating people, and infants have unique needs during public health emergencies, including nuclear and radiological incidents. This report provides information on the CDC Division of Reproductive Health's emergency preparedness and response activities to address the needs of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years), people who are pregnant, postpartum, or lactating, and infants during a radiation emergency. Highlighted preparedness activities include: (1) development of a quick reference guide to inform key questions about pregnant, postpartum, and lactating people, and infants during radiation emergencies; and (2) exercising the role of reproductive health experts during nuclear and radiological incident preparedness activities.

Survey Evaluation of Nursing Emergency Preparedness Training

Introduction:An effective response to CBRNE requires that frontline staff, such as nurses, are adequately trained in Emergency Preparedness (EP). Understanding the current gaps in nursing knowledge of CBRNE is the first step in creating an effective training program. This study assessed EP training gaps and needs among nursing staff.Method:A web-based survey was distributed to all hospital nursing staff. The survey evaluated the CBRNE training that nurses received. Staff listed the types of training they had received and were asked to rate their confidence in performing various disaster-related competencies or capabilities. Competency confidence levels were also surveyed as those who feel; not at all confident or not very confident.Results:The survey assessed previous EP training. 572/763 Nursing Staff had completed the survey, for a response rate of 75%. Of the nurses who responded, areas in which they have been trained included: preparedness for radiological and nuclear agents (17.66% trained), preparedness for biological agents (22.20% trained), preparedness for chemical agents (27.45% trained), hazardous materials and patient decontamination (25% trained), and their own role within the hospital's ICS (31.29% trained), Patient evacuation (63.61% trained) and the hospital's EP plan (54.55% trained). The survey also assessed respondents' confidence in performing EP activities. The respondents reported lacking confidence in treating patients exposed to a radioactive material (59.9%), treating patients exposed to a biological agent (57.17%), and performing decontamination procedures (54.71%). The respondents reported having confidence in evacuating patients from units, departments, or hospitals (69.1%). The top incentives for participating in “nonrequired” training were no costs to complete the training (83.1%) and receiving continuing education credits (79.2%).Conclusion:A majority of nurses reported inadequate training in CBRNE events with a self-reported lack of confidence in responding to these events. A targeted and educational CBRNE curriculum and materials to enhance EP among nursing professionals are clearly indicated.

Birth of an International Journal Dedicated to Health Systems Resilience

Health systems, small or large, are essential to ensure the well-being of communities. However, health systems worldwide are struggling with their challenges in delivering services to communities. On top of that, when disasters, conflicts, crises, and pandemics occur, the communities will depend more on the health systems. If the health systems are functional despite the adversities, they can reduce deaths, injuries, diseases, and human suffering in the aftermath of such events. However, such adversities do not spare health systems. On the contrary, they will pose an additional burden for emergency health systems, calling for augmentation of surge capacity. All building blocks of health systems could be affected by shocks and stressors; the COVID-19 pandemic has been the perfect and the most recent example. The lessons learned by health systems, irrespective of their size, complexity, and geographic distribution during the pandemic, call for better understanding and operationalizing of health systems resilience, at all levels, from the global, national, sub-national, and institutional levels. Resilient health systems have some common positive characteristics: they can prepare, respond and recover from shocks and stressors, capitalizing on resources within; they can cope; they can bounce back. However, more academic and practice-based research is needed to expand our understanding of health systems resilience and ways and means of enhancing it. We must learn to look at health systems through a lens of resilience, going beyond the traditional health emergency preparedness and response activities, which are often fragmented and compartmentalized. Each disaster, conflict, crisis, and pandemic can teach us many great lessons on making our health systems more resilient. However, organizational learning will happen only if the health systems are humble, open, and ready to learn, not only from successes but also from failures. The International Journal of Health Systems Resilience (INJHSR) creates a platform for our resilience practitioners to learn from each other. INJHSR promotes sharing of experiences, lessons learned, and best practices on health systems resilience. In addition, INJHSR fosters innovation in the field of health systems resilience. At INJHSR, we celebrate innovations that were successful and scaled up and those that did not do so well because such honest learnings are critical in addressing future challenges. Further, INJHSR will provide opportunities for resilience practitioners to collaborate on promoting health systems resilience. International Journal of Health Systems Resilience is our journal. It is our platform to make our health systems resilient.

Implication on Nuclear/Radiological Incident Response Focusing on Interagency Coordination in the United States

A nuclear/radiological incident is known as a low-probability and high-impact disaster, yet it is catastrophic when it actually happens. Therefore intensive preparation for an effective response is required and many institutions and stakeholders are involved in the preparedness phase. This research is to examine the inter-agency coordination model on nuclear/Radiological incident response in the United States and aims to extract policy implications. In order to do so, the Nuclear/Radiological Incident Annex to the Response and Recovery Federal Interagency Operational Plan was studied with a focus on the interagency coordination program in the United States. This study reviewed the Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee (FRPCC) and Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REPP) in the United States and examined the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a lead entity for federal response activities for the nuclear/radiological event. This study suggests establishing a central government program to support local governments for radiological emergency preparedness activities and coordination efforts among stakeholders.

Ready or not: emergency planning in Midwestern museums

ABSTRACT Emergency preparedness plays a vital role in the protection of museum collections. However, very little is known about how small, rural museums engage with emergency preparedness. This interview-based study sought to discover the state of emergency plans, procedures, and trainings in small museums and historical societies across Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. It found that small, rural museums took part in a variety of emergency preparedness activities ranging from informal verbal trainings to elaborate emergency documentation. It also uncovered that resources, education, and prioritization played a significant role in these discrepancies. Furthermore, the startling number of institutions that engaged in limited or nonexistent preparedness efforts reveals that many museums were ill-equipped to tackle emergency planning. In this age of uncertainty, it is crucial that historic institutions, no matter their size, be prepared for the worst. This study sheds light on an understudied intersection of emergency management and museum studies.

Emergency Preparedness and Response: Highlights from the Division of Reproductive Health, 2011-2021.

This report provides historical context and rationale for coordinated, systematic, and evidence-based public health emergency preparedness and response (EPR) activities to address the needs of women of reproductive age. Needs of pregnant and postpartum women, and infants-before, during, and after public health emergencies-are highlighted. Four focus areas and related activities are described: (1) public health science; (2) clinical guidance; (3) partnerships, communication, and outreach; and (4) workforce development. Finally, the report summarizes major activities of the Division of Reproductive Health's EPR Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Care for Our Nation's Veterans: A Policy Paper From the American College of Physicians.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the United States' largest integrated health care delivery system, serving over 9 million enrollees at nearly 1300 health care facilities. In addition to providing health care to the nation's military veterans, the VHA has a research and development program, trains thousands of medical residents and other health care professionals, and conducts emergency preparedness and response activities. The VHA has been celebrated for delivering high-quality care to veterans, early adoption of electronic medical records, and high patient satisfaction. However, the system faces challenges, including implementation of an expanded community care program, modernization of its electronic medical records system, and providing care to a population with complex needs. The position paper offers policy recommendations on VHA funding, the community care program, medical and health care professions training, and research and development.

Key factors influencing the severity of fluvial flood hazard from tropical cyclones

AbstractKnowledge of the key drivers of the severity of river flooding from tropical cyclones (TCs) is vital for emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction activities. This global study examines landfalling TCs in the decade from 2010 to 2019, to identify those characteristics that influence whether a storm has an increased flood hazard. The highest positive correlations are found between flood severity and the total precipitation associated with the TC. Significant negative correlations are found between flood severity and the translation speed of the TC, indicating that slower moving storms, that rain over an area for longer, tend to have higher flood severity. Larger and more intense TCs increase the likelihood of having a larger area affected by severe flooding but not its duration or magnitude, and it is found that the fluvial flood hazard can be severe in all intensity categories of TC, including those of tropical storm strength. Catchment characteristics such as antecedent soil moisture and slope also play a role in modulating flood severity, and severe flooding is more likely in cases where multiple drivers are present. The improved knowledge of the key drivers of fluvial flooding in TCs can help to inform research priorities to help with flood early warning, such as increasing the focus on translation speed in model evaluation and impact-based forecasting.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned from Community Engagement and Data Collection Strategies in Post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico

Abstract Communities have a vital role to play in managing the risks associated with natural disasters. As such, their strengths, weaknesses, and priority concerns must be factored into policy decisions to ensure local recovery efforts reflect community needs. Regular engagement with community members provides opportunities for emergency managers and first responders to tap into a reservoir of local knowledge to build a shared understanding of how to foster local preparedness and help communities reduce the impact of a disaster. Not all communities are alike; needs can differ for a variety of reasons and can help determine the best ways to galvanize an appropriate response. The methods of engagement should also be tailored to ensure communities are willing and able to participate in the types of interactions emergency managers wish to initiate. In this paper, we used a mixed method approach to examine several different community engagement and data collection strategies conducted, observed or examined by our research team during six months of post-Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in Puerto Rico from February to July 2018. The aim of this study is to assess whether different outreach approaches used illuminated different perceptions about disaster preparedness and recovery and to identify what works and what does not work when engaging communities in emergency preparedness and recovery activities.

The role of Namibia Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme in strengthening the public health workforce in Namibia, 2012–2019

Namibia faces a critical shortage of skilled public health workers to perform emergency response operations, preparedness activities and real-time surveillance. The Namibia Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (NamFELTP) increases...

Perceived safety and preparedness for active shooter incidents among undergraduate students

BackgroundActive shooter (AS) situations on school campuses have been a serious threat. Students play a significant role in the effectiveness of safety procedures in these situations. Evaluating student perceptions of preparedness and safety is important as schools implement AS preparedness policies. MethodsThis study was conducted at a private university in the United States of America (US). A total of 421 undergraduate students participated in a survey that asked about their perceptions of preparedness and safety at their University. The survey was sent to the students via email. Inferential statistics were utilized for data analyses. ResultsOver half of the students were aware of the locations of the AS guidelines, but a limited number of students were aware of the University resources. The more confident they felt to respond to AS events, the more susceptible they felt to AS events. The more they felt that the University was prepared and safe, the less they felt susceptible. The more they were confident in responding to AS events, the safer they felt. In addition, students' perception of safety depended on their perception of the University's preparedness, especially among those who felt that the University was susceptible. ConclusionsThe results indicated that students who were more involved in emergency preparedness activities had both a higher awareness of susceptibility and higher perceptions of preparedness and safety. Providing appropriate emergency preparedness programs may help students familiarize themselves with the resources and enhance their preparedness.

Hospital Incident Command System: Preparedness and application for COVID-19 response in California’s Central Valley

This paper describes the types of emergency and disaster events that could potentially impact the healthcare system and the need for healthcare executives to be knowledgeable and able to respond to emergencies quickly and appropriately. It discusses the barriers to the engagement of hospital and healthcare senior executive teams in emergency preparedness activities and proposes a pragmatic approach for the engagement of healthcare executive teams. Drawing on the experience of hospitals in California’s Central Valley, the article hypothesises that a full implementation of this programme would have supported hospital executive teams to provide a more effective and efficient response to the management of COVID-19.

Campus law enforcement: the relationship between emergency preparedness and community policing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between emergency preparedness and community policing within campus law enforcement agencies, as well as agency and campus characteristics that impact the level of emergency preparedness activities.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the 2011–2012 Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies, this study employs ordinary least squares regression modeling to examine emergency preparedness and community policing relationships within 298 campus law enforcement agencies.FindingsCommunity policing is the greatest predictor of emergency preparedness in campus law enforcement agencies. This finding refutes arguments that emergency preparedness and community policing are incompatible policing innovations.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited by the use of secondary data. Future research should utilize survey measures to better isolate the roles and functions of community policing and emergency preparedness.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for campus law enforcement agencies to view emergency preparedness and community policing activities as interrelated. Specifically, agency administration can benefit by taking a holistic approach to campus policing and preparedness.Originality/valueThis paper extends the current research in municipal policing to the campus police environment. This paper also adds to the limited body of literature on the relationships between community policing and emergency preparedness.

Emergency preparedness during a global pandemic: Individual preparedness for COVID-19.

Existing research on individual preparedness in the United States indicates that we are generally unprepared for disasters. While there is an abundance of research on emergency preparedness, there are gaps in our knowledge. For example, the results of extant research are unclear regarding what factors influence individual preparedness. The preparedness literature is also limited in the types of disasters examined and in understanding the timing of preparedness activities. The current COVID-19 global pandemic provides a tragic but albeit unique opportunity to address these limitations of previous research and examine emergency preparedness activities before and immediately following the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. This research is further distinctive because it examines preparedness activities related to the global pandemic rather than other types of disasters. Policy and research implications of the findings are presented.

Nurses Readiness Regarding Disaster Preparedness at Alnoor Hospital in Makkah

Introduction : Disaster occurs every day somewhere in the world with dramatic impact on individuals, families and communities. Nurses are the largest group of health care providers and are considered essential personnel in disaster preparedness. Aim: To assess the level of nurses’ readiness regarding disaster preparedness at alnoor hospital in Makkah Method: a quantitative cross sectional descriptive design. Setting: the study conducted at Alnoor Hospital in, medical, surgical, emergency and critical care unit Departments. Subjects: a convenient sample of 194 nurses was selected to participate in the study. Tool: the study included one tool which divided into two parts, Part I. demographic and work related data, and part II. Nurses’ readiness regarding hospital disaster preparedness questionnaire. Result: Nearly half of the nurses (49%) had moderate level of readiness regarding disaster preparedness. There was no significant relation between nurses’ readiness with age, gender, educational level of nurses, years of experience and attend of previous drill workshop (p. 0.196, 0.418, 0.805, 0.133, 0.216) respectively. While there was a significant relationship between nurses’ readiness for disaster preparedness with the specialty practice area of nurses, current professional role, and actively participated in an actual major disaster event (p. 0.000, 0.004, 0.001) respectively. Conclusion: concerning total readiness nearly half of the nurses had moderate level of readiness regarding disaster preparedness'. Moreover, more than half of nurses had moderate level of readiness regarding emergency preparedness terms and activities, communication and connectivity, assessing critical and nurse's assessment readiness. While less than half of nurses had moderate level of readiness regarding ethical issues in triage, epidemiology and surveillance, decontamination and psychological issue. Recommendations: Further education and training courses are needed to enhance nurses’ readiness for disaster preparedness. Keywords: disaster, readiness, preparedness, Nurses DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/71-07 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

The role of emergency preparedness exercises in the response to a mass casualty terrorist incident: A mixed methods study

Simulation exercises are an important part of emergency preparedness activities for the healthcare community but evidence of their impact on the response to real major incidents is limited. This project studied the impact of health emergency preparedness exercises (HEPEs) on the response to a mass casualty terrorist incident. The mixed methods study design was adopted comprising an on-line survey and follow up individual interviews. Participants were healthcare staff who took part in responses to three major terrorist incidents in the UK in 2017. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were undertaken with quantitative data. Content and thematic analysis methods were used for qualitative data analysis.The online survey generated 86 responses; 79 (92%) were from the responders to the Manchester Arena bombing. Twenty-one survey respondents shared their experiences in in-depth interviews. Healthcare staff who took part in HEPEs felt better prepared to respond than those who did not attend an exercise. The most commonly reported benefits from HEPEs were awareness of major incident plans and having the opportunity to practice responding to a similar scenario in the recent exercise. Specific benefits included: improved coordination of the response through adherence to recently practiced incident plans; confidence with response roles; real-time modifications of the response and support provided to staff who did not take part in exercises. Exercise recency was highlighted as an important facilitating factor.The study provides strong objective evidence that the response to a mass casualty terrorist incident was enhanced by training and service development achieved through HEPEs.

Building operational readiness for responding to emergencies in the WHO South-East Asia Region

The World Health Organization (WHO) has an essential role to play in supporting Member States to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies with public health consequences. Operational readiness for known and unknown hazards and emergencies requires a risk-informed and structured approach to building capacities within organizations such as WHO offices and national ministries of health. Under the flagship priority programme on emergency risk management of the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, a readiness training programme consisting of four modules was implemented during 2017-2018, involving staff from WHO country offices as well as from the regional office. The experience of and lessons learnt from designing, developing and delivering this phased training programme have fed into improvements in the curriculum and training methodology. The training programme has also facilitated the development of business continuity plans and contingency plans in some of the 11 Member States of the region and has increased the readiness of WHO staff for swift deployment in recent emergencies. It is recommended that the strengthening of operational readiness for responding to emergencies in the region be sustained and accelerated through the development of a regional training consortium that can scale the training programme up at national level, taking into account country contexts, national health systems and the needs of populations. The resilience of the populations and health systems in the region will be increased if disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness and response activities are supported by operational readiness.