Research StudyEmergency Preparedness and Professional Competency Among Health Care Providers During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Pilot Study Results
Section snippets
Emergency Preparedness
A key concept in disaster management and planning is “emergency preparedness.” Although the concept frequently is referred to within medical literature, psychological literature, and local, state and federal documents, this term is not well defined. Similarly, emergency preparedness training remains inadequately delineated. Turnock2 best summed up the lack of consensus of a definition of emergency preparedness as follows: “Currently, states are not clear about what is meant by preparedness and
Purpose
The objective of this pilot study was to begin to explore, describe, and collect background data on professional competencies from health care providers who were involved in the Katrina and/or Rita disaster responses. Data obtained from this preliminary study will form the basis for design of a larger Web-based survey to assess the issue of individual health care provider preparedness at the time of Katrina/Rita and elucidate pathways to better performance in the future.
Methods
This exploratory descriptive study utilized a convenience sample of health care providers aged 18 years or older who worked on site in a disaster response for Hurricane Katrina and/or Rita in Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi. Respondents either attended the 2006 National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) or U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) annual conferences, sites where large numbers of health care providers deployed to areas hit by the hurricanes. Individuals who chose to participate
Results
Of the 200 participants in this study, the largest categories of respondents were registered nurses (RNs) (37%) and physicians (24%). Other respondents included EMTs (10%), advanced practice nurses (8.5%), physician assistants (5%), dentists (3%), and licensed vocational/ practical nurses (1.5%). Self-reported years of experience in their health care provider role ranged from 2 to 50 years, with the average being 19.5 years (SD 9.5), and the mode being 15 years (7.5%). One hundred thirteen
Demographics
The responder categories in this study are consistent with anecdotal reports. The sample group was composed of experienced health care providers. Because the majority of providers reported 15 or more years of experience in their health care provider role, one could expect that many individuals would have both basic clinical care and triage well incorporated into their skill sets. More importantly, nearly 60% of the group reported that they had prior experience with disaster responses. More than
Conclusions
While the risk of a catastrophic event occurring in the United States is always present, never has an event of similar scope ever happened. The death and destruction resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita triggered the largest natural disaster relief and recovery operations in United States history and created an unprecedented demand for relief health care services.
The objective of this pilot study was to begin to explore, describe, and collect background data on professional competencies
CAPT Lynn A. Slepski is a PhD candidate, United States Public Health Service, Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Gaithersburg, Md
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CAPT Lynn A. Slepski is a PhD candidate, United States Public Health Service, Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Gaithersburg, Md
The views expressed here are the work of the author and do not represent the official policy of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the United States Government.
Reprints are not available from the author.