Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Gillian S. Gibbs, MPH¹, Gordon Trenholme, MD¹, Jane Grady, PhD², Francis Fullam³, Julio Silva, MD¹, Dino Rumoro, DO¹, Amy Vestal, RN¹, Stephanie Black, MD¹, Paul Severin, MD¹, Daniel Levin, MD¹, Rachel Burke, MD¹, Frederick Serafin, RN¹, Todd Green¹, David Esterquest, BSN¹, Russell Burck, PhD¹, and Stacy Pur, RN¹. (1) Center of Excellence for Bioterrorism Preparedness, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 W. Congress Pkwy, Suite 177 Murdock, Chicago, IL 60612, 312 563 3820, Gillian_Gibbs@rush.edu, (2) Human Resources, Rush University Medical Center, 729 S. Paulina, Chicago, IL 60612, (3) Strategic Planning, Marketing & Program Development, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Suite 364, Chicago, IL 60612

Purpose: A sufficient level of staffing is essential to hospitals' response to a disaster. The specific needs and concerns that health care workers may experience in responding to a disaster may impact their ability and willingness to report to work. Therefore, a study was designed based on the types of challenges health care workers may face during any disaster, such as transportation, communication, and dependent care.

Methods: An anonymous survey containing 17 multiple choice and 4 open ended questions was sent via email to a random sample of 1,066 employees of a large urban hospital. Results were tabulated using SurveyMonkey.

Results: The response rate was 19% (n=200), with responses from non-clinical personnel (56.4%), nurses (15.8%), technicians (12.6%), physicians (6.3%), and others (8.9%). Transportation and dependent care were seen as the biggest potential challenges during a disaster. Suggestions for ensuring staffing in an emergency included: providing an area to stay overnight, providing dependent/pet care, ensuring contact with families, increasing education on disaster plans, having a shuttle pickup service, and starting a volunteer registry for emergency response. Most employees agreed it was important to have a family emergency plan, yet most did not have the elements of a family emergency plan in place.

Conclusions: Just as hospitals rely on staff reporting to work in order to function, staff rely on hospitals for support in order to perform essential duties during a disaster. This study illustrates areas to address in hospital disaster plans to increase staff willingness and ability to report to work.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Discuss the barriers hospital staff face when asked to report to work during a major disaster
• Develop methods of preparing health care workers and their families for disasters
• Improve hospital policies or disaster plans to address staff needs and increase staff ability to report to work during a disaster.

Keywords: Disasters, Health Care Workers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation