Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency department staff towards disaster and emergency preparedness at tertiary health care hospital in central Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Saudi medical journal Vol. 39; no. 11; pp. 1123 - 1129
• Main Authors: Nofal, Abdullah, Alfayyad, Isamme, Khan, Anas, Al Aseri, Zohair, Abu-Shaheen, Amani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Saudi Arabia Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) 01-11-2018; Saudi Medical Journal
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes; Civil Defense - education; Demographics; Disaster Planning; Disasters; Earthquakes; Emergency preparedness; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Health care; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel - education; Health Personnel - psychology; Humans; Knowledge; Literature reviews; Male; Medical personnel; Nurses; Original; Patient safety; Physicians; Planning; Questionnaires; Saudi Arabia; Tertiary Care Centers; Saudi Arabia; Riyadh Saudi Arabia
• ISSN: 0379-5284; 1658-3175
• DOI: 10.15537/smj.2018.11.23026

To assess the knowledge, practices, and attitudes regarding disaster and emergency preparedness among Emergency Department (ED) staff. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Tertiary health care hospital in central Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A self-administered survey was utilized to collect data from ED physicians and nurses. The questionnaire was divided into 5 sections viz; demographics, knowledge about disaster management and preparedness, attitudes about disaster planning, current role and practices, and familiarity towards emergency. Results: A 189 participants have completed the questionnaire. Two-third of the participants were below 30 years, and more than 85% were female. One hundred and eleven (58.7%) had a clinical experience of more than 5 years, while 78 (41.3%) participants had more than 3 years of clinical service at the Tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Correct responses of knowledge towards disaster and emergency preparedness score was 6.2±2.5. Participants with more than 5-years of experience had a statistically significant (p=0.009) knowledge scale score for disaster and emergency preparedness. Overall, 186 (98.4%) patients believed that training is necessary for all healthcare workers. Approximately 153 (81%) participants reported the conduct of disaster drill at their hospital. The mean score (Mean±SD) for the overall familiarity of the study participants with emergency preparedness information questionnaire (EPIQ) scale was 3.2±1.3. Conclusion: The level of knowledge was satisfactory among healthcare providers with neutral level of attitude, practice, and familiarity regarding disaster preparedness. Follow-up research is necessary for maximizing ED preparedness.