Evaluation of emergency preparedness exercises: the design of a questionnaire to measure staff perceptions (original) (raw)
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What is the value of health emergency preparedness exercises? A scoping review study
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2017
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Role of exercises and drills in the evaluation of public health in emergency response
2006
Abbreviations: CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention DHS = (US) Department of Homeland Security FEMA = (US) Federal Emergency Management Agency IAP = incident action plan IC = incident command ICS = incident command system JIC = jurisdiction-wide information center NACCHO = (US) National Association of County and City Health Officials PIO = public information officer PPE = personal protective equipment SOCO = single overriding communication objective UTL = universal task list
Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 2000
This paper describes a six-step model to improve the capacity of public health agencies responding to any hazardous event. Developed through a partnership with an academic center and a local public health agency, the model incorporates lessons learned in the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) Public Health Ready (PHR) pilot study conducted in 2003. The proposed model integrates aspects of two existing approaches with concepts from the field of emergency management, and emphasizes the importance of timely evaluation. The evaluation of the model includes both individuals workers and larger work groups. It addresses both general goals and the agency's local plan. The model also stresses the need to work with all levels of the agency to develop the local plan. In the model, evaluation is accomplished using self-assessment, measures of objective knowledge, ratings of individual performance, and ratings of team performance. Though based on a pilot study, the model may have application for other agencies working to increase their capacity to respond to hazardous events.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2021
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Exercises in Emergency Preparedness for Health Professionals in Community Clinics
Journal of Community Health, 2010
Health professionals in community settings are generally unprepared for disasters. From 2006 to 2008 the California Statewide Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program conducted 90 table top exercises in community practice sites in 18 counties. The exercises arranged and facilitated by AHEC trained local coordinators and trainers were designed to assist health professionals in developing and applying their practice site emergency plans using simulated events about pandemic influenza or other emergencies. Of the 1,496 multidisciplinary health professionals and staff participating in the exercises, 1,176 (79%) completed learner evaluation forms with 92-98% of participants rating the training experiences as good to excellent. A few reported helpful effects when applying their training to a real time local disaster. Assessments of the status of clinic emergency plans using 15 criteria were conducted at three intervals: when the exercises were scheduled, immediately before the exercises, and for one-third of sites, three months after the
Assessing emergency management training and exercises
Disaster Prevention and Management, 2012
Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate how training or exercises are assessed in local government emergency management organisations. Design/methodology/approach-An investigative review of the resources available to emergency managers across North America and within New Zealand, for the evaluation and monitoring of emergency management training and exercises was conducted. This was then compared with results from a questionnaire based survey of 48 local government organisations in Canada, USA, and New Zealand. A combination of closed and open ended questions was used, enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis. Findings-Each organisation's training program, and their assessment of this training is unique. The monitoring and evaluation aspect of training has been overlooked in some organisations. In addition, those that are using assessment methods are operating in blind faith that these methods are giving an accurate assessment of their training. This study demonstrates that it is largely unknown how effective the training efforts of local government organisations are. Research limitations/implications-Further study inspired by this paper will provide a clearer picture of the evaluation of and monitoring of emergency management training programs. These results highlight that organisations need to move away from an ad hoc approach to training design and evaluation, towards a more sophisticated and evidence-based approach to training needs analysis, design, and evaluation if they are to maximise the benefits of this training. Originality/value-This study is the first investigation to the authors' knowledge into the current use of diverse emergency management training for a range of local government emergency offices, and how this training impacts the functioning of the organisation's emergency operations centre during a crisis.
The evidence base for effectiveness of preparedness training: a retrospective analysis
Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) commissioned an Evidence-Based Gaps Collaboration Group to consider whether past experience could help guide future efforts to educate and train public health workers in responding to emergencies and disasters. The Group searched the peer-reviewed literature for preparedness training articles meeting three criteria: publication during the period when CDC's Centers for Public Health Preparedness were fully operational, content relevant to emergency response operations, and content particular to the emergency response roles of public health professionals. Articles underwent both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The search identified 163 articles covering the topics of leadership and command structure (18.4%), information and communications (14.1%), organizational systems (78.5%), and others (23.9%). The number of reports was substantial, but their usefulness for trainers and educators was rated only "fair&quo...
Disaster Exercise Outcomes for Professional Emergency Personnel and Citizen Volunteers
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2004
It has long been argued in the research literature that conducting disaster exercises produces a variety of benefits that promote effective emergency management. In spite of nearly universal acceptance of the claim, there are few empirical studies that have explored the effects of exercises on participants. This paper reviews the role of exercises in the creation of community disaster preparedness, while making explicit the links among planning, training and exercising. Using a quasi-experimental design, the effects of disaster exercise participation on perceptions of response knowledge and teamwork are studied for police officers, fire-fighters and civilian volunteers. The exercise studied involved an annual airport disaster drill required for continuing certification. It was found that participation enhanced the perceptions of response knowledge and teamwork for all three types of participants.