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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Beverly Watkins, MS, BSN, Judy C. Martin, PhD, APRN, BC, Robert Stolarick, DDS, MBA, and Yvonne S. Madlock, MAT. Office of Nursing, Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, 814 Jefferson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105, 901-544-6836, jcmartin@co.shelby.tn.us

Purpose: To determine the knowledge base and educational needs of public health nurses and other public health workers (PHWs) related to emergency preparedness, an Emergency Preparedness Needs Assessment Survey was created and distributed to every employee of a mid-southern, urban health department. Methods: In total, 319 of 595 (54%) full-time PHWs of all levels of responsibility employed by this health department received a self-administered survey to complete and return within a two-week time frame. One-hundred ninety-three (193) administrative, management, and professional (AMP) staff completed and returned a 26-item survey, and 126 clerical, technical, and clerical, technical, and support (CTS) staff completed a 9-item survey designed for their level of responsibility. The needs assessment was organized into categories based on responsibility for 10 essential public health services – 10 categories for AMP staff and 3 categories for CTS staff: Survey data were loaded onto an Access database for descriptive and comparative analyses using SPSS. Findings: AMP staff reported lowest confidence and highest needs for training regarding use of emergency communication equipment, health alert network protocols, the agency's emergency response plan, and their role in response to a specific emergency; they reported more confidence regarding the procedure description and reporting of actual emergencies, principles of infection control, communication with media and the public, and formulation of a personal family response plan. CTS staff, however, reported lowest confidence and highest needs for training regarding signs and recognition of symptoms of exposure to biological agents; higher confidence was reported regarding communication with public health partners, current directory of emergency resources. Conclusions: Findings of the needs assessment survey indicated the need for a targeted emergency preparedness educational curriculum to provide information that enhances employee ability, knowledge and skills to effectively respond in the event of a disaster. Thus, a curriculum for AMP staff was designed that provides guidance regarding disaster communication systems, AMP roles and responsibilities, and procedures regarding response to a disaster. CTS staff were provided a curriculum addressing recognition and self-protection from biological exposures. Future curricula design will be based on educational needs that remain upon repeat of the needs assessment at this worksite.

Learning Objectives:

• Specify the skills needed by public health workers to respond to a mass casualty incident
• Describe actual and perceived levels of responsibility of public health staff as related to the 10 essential public health services
• Demonstrate application of the competencies required to respond effectively in the event of a disaster
• Discuss how findings were used to design an emergency preparedness education curriculum for public health staff and volunteers

Keywords: Emerging Health Issues, Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation