In:
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, Cambridge University Press (CUP), Vol. 35, No. 2 ( 2020-04), p. 170-173
Abstract:
This team created a manual to train clinics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to effectively respond to disasters. This study is a follow-up to a prior study evaluating disaster response. The team returned to previously trained clinics to evaluate retention and performance in a disaster simulation. Background: Local clinics are the first stop for patients when disaster strikes LMICs. They are often under-resourced and under-prepared to respond to patient needs. Further effort is required to prepare these crucial institutions to respond effectively using the Incident Command System (ICS) framework. Methods: Two clinics in the North East Region of Haiti were trained through a disaster manual created to help clinics in LMICs respond effectively to disasters. This study measured the clinic staff’s response to a disaster drill using the ICS and compared the results to prior responses. Results: Using the prior study’s evaluation scale, clinics were evaluated on their ability to set up an ICS. During the mock disaster, staff was evaluated on a three-point scale in 13 different metrics, grading their ability to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover in a disaster. By this scale, both clinics were effective (36/39; 92%) in responding to a disaster. Conclusion: The clinics retained much prior training, and after repeat training, the clinics improved their disaster response. Future study will evaluate the clinics’ ability to integrate disaster response with country-wide health resources to enable an effective outcome for patients.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1049-023X
,
1945-1938
DOI:
10.1017/S1049023X20000199
Language:
English
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Publication Date:
2020
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2162069-6
