Disaster preparedness among medical and nursing personnel

Background: Disasters, as regards the health sector, are considered as a sudden or gradual disease of an entire community, which is impossible to confront adequately without external assistance. Aim: To explore the disaster preparedness among medical and nursing personnel. Method: The statistical sample of this study consisted of 364 health care professionals. As a measuring tool, a special questionnaire designed by Fung et al in 2007 was used. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 17 and included chi-square test and Logistic regression. Results: The biggest percentage of the medical and nursing personnel (61%) considered themselves not adequately prepared for disasters. Of the study participants, 64,6% state that should a disaster happen in their workplace they would follow the hospital disaster plan to manage the situation, while 55,7% they do not know if there is a disaster plan in their workplace. Furthermore, 54,8% of the responders who answered that their workplace has a disaster plan, they have not read it. Eighty-one point eight percent consider as disaster the fires in Peloponnese and Evia in 2007, while 30,3% the aviation accident in Grammatiko area in 2005. Seventy- seven point one percent state that the occurrence of earthquake is a very likely possibility for the Greek territory, while 77,5% state as unlikely the possibility of a nuclear accident. In regard to the specific materials or activities needing to be developed to prepare health care workers for disasters, 88,0% state that courses in disaster management would be useful, while 73,7% the disaster plan. By the statistical analysis it was detected that the administrative nurses perceive themselves more frequently as prepared for disaster management (p=0,002) as well the health care professionals with more than 16 years working experience (p=0,017), those who have done postgraduate studies (p=0,047), those who have participated in any disaster management activity in their workplace (p<0,001) and those who have attended formal disaster medicine-nursing lessons (p<0,001). With respect to the workplace disaster plan, the >46 age group (p<0,001), the health care professionals with more than 16 years working experience (p=0,001), those who have done postgraduate studies (p<0,001), the administrative nurses (p<0,001) and the health professionals working in surgical units (p=0,009), state less frequently «I do not know» regarding its existence, while doctors more frequently (p<0,001). Conclusions: Education, working experience and the disaster plan existence in the workplace affect positively the knowledge on disasters as well the health-related disaster preparedness, therefore, it is necessary for the health care professionals, when in an undergraduate level, to attend more relevant courses.