Research StudyAssessment of Physician Preparedness and Response Capacity to Bioterrorism or Other Public Health Emergency Events in a Major Metropolitan Area
Section snippets
Methods/Materials
The survey instrument designed for use in this assessment was modeled after validated and published survey instruments described in public health emergency−related literature6, 9 and multidisciplinary input from various members of the Fort Worth Bioterrorism and Health Emergency Preparedness team, Fort Worth Public Health epidemiologists, Fort Worth/Tarrant County Health Authority, and the TCMS. The final survey instrument (Figure 1) consisted of 9 questions that focused on 4 main areas of
Results
Of the 3202 survey packages mailed, 465 were completed and returned, resulting in a response rate of 15.5% (465/3000). A total of 6.3% (n = 202) of the mailed packets were undeliverable because of incorrect addresses. Most respondents (n = 301, 64.7%) were members of the TCMS.
The majority of respondents (n = 360, 79.3%) reported not having participated in bioterrorism preparedness and response training. Most respondents also reported not having completed CDLS or BDLS trainings (n = 430, 93.9%;
Discussion
The results of this study provide a baseline assessment of physicians' current level of bioterrorism emergency preparedness, response capabilities, and training needs within a major metropolitan area. Although there was a low response rate, the survey yielded a sufficient sample size for reliable statistical inference. Despite efforts to train local physicians since 2002, a finding consistent with other studies6, 7, 8 was that the majority of respondents reported no previous bioterrorism
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