Exploring pre‐hospital healthcare workers' readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats in the State of Qatar: A cross‐sectional study (original) (raw)

Hazardous materials and CBRN incidents: Fundamentals of pre-hospital readiness in the State of Qatar

Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care, 2021

Background: Hazardous Materials and Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear (HazMat-CBRN) incidents represent a serious threat to the population and the environment. They require a pre-hospital medical response system well equipped and supported with logistics and clinicians with appropriate knowledge and skills to prevent exposure and mitigate risks. Our aim is to determine if the Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service (HMCAS) fulfils the pre-hospital readiness requirements for such incidents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in HMCAS. An online survey assessed staff behaviour and knowledge in relation to HazMat-CBRN incidents. Responses were obtained on health risks and pre-hospital medical management of related threats in Qatar. Based on the results, a training module “HazMat Incident Management” was prepared with pre-/post-activity assessments. The results were explored using a multivariate linear regression and non-parametric Wilcoxon test for paired samp...

Effect of Mass Casualty Training Program on Prehospital Care Staff in Kuwait

Background: Prehospital staff, Emergency Medical Technicians and paramedics need appropriate training to deal with major incidents. Despite the fact that Kuwait has experienced many major incidents and located into a politically conflict zone, there is no standardized preparedness training for prehospital care providers to disasters or major incidents. This study aimed to assess the effect of a training intervention in improving the knowledge and awareness of EMTs and paramedics in the Kuwait Emergency Medical Service (KEMS). Methods: An interventional study was conducted in Kuwait Emergency Medical Services. Thirtyone participants from different ambulance districts were included in two educational interventions. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test, and one-way ANOVA test were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean score was significantly higher immediately after first training program [18.2; standard error (SE):1.9] than before (12.4; SE: 2.8) (P <0.001). The mean score three months later was significantly higher (19.8; SE: 0.5) immediately after the intervention program (P <0.001). Conclusion: The primary aim of improving preparedness among prehospital care providers was been achieved through the training program. The tests results showed an improvement in score achieved by the participating prehospital care providers. This type of training courses would increase the competency and the confidence of prehospital care providers in providing emergency services.

Assessment of the effectiveness of a course in major chemical incidents for front line health care providers: a pilot study from Saudi Arabia

BMC Medical Education

Background Mass chemical exposure emergencies are infrequent but can cause injury, illness, or loss of life for large numbers of victims. These emergencies can stretch and challenge the available resources of healthcare systems within the community. Political unrest in the Middle East, including chemical terrorist attacks against civilians in Syria and increasing chemical industry accidents, have highlighted the lack of hospital preparedness for chemical incidents in the region. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a course designed to empower frontline healthcare providers involved in mass casualty incidents with the basic knowledge and essential operational skills for mass chemical exposure incidents in Saudi Arabia. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used to develop a blended learning, simulation enhanced, competency-based course for major chemical incidents for front line healthcare providers. The course was designed by experts from different disciplines (disaster...

Review of the Level of Perception ’ Towards Professional Hazards among Emergency Department Staff at ER-Saudi Arabia

2017

Background: The distinction on patient safety in health care, few organizations has evaluated the extent to which safety is a strategic precedence or their culture chains patient safety. In response to the Institute of Medicine’s report and to an organizational commitment to patient safety, we conducted an efficient assessment of safety. Objective: To assess the level of Perception’ towards Professional Hazards among Emergency Department at Selected ER, Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at selected ER, Saudi Arabia. Self-administered questionnaire was provided to 200 Emergency Department Staff in the research setting based on their area of their medical specialties to assess the level of Perception’ towards Professional Hazards among Emergency Department at Selected ER, Saudi Arabia. Results: The findings showed that the Perception’ towards Professional Hazards among some Emergency Department Staff working at selected ER was variable. The majority (92.3%) ...

An Empirical Investigation of Safety Climate in Emergency Medical Technicians in Iran

2010

This paper discusses empirical research aimed at investigating the most important dimensions of safety climate from Emergency Medical technician's perspective. Investigation was conducted through the safety climate questionnaire (SCQ) in Tehran Emergency Organization. After a literature review, a 21item questionnaire was developed and administered to 600 technicians. In order to indentify the structure of safety climate Factor analysis was used with varimax rotation method using SPSS 17 software. Data on safety climate were collected by completed questionnaire from 266 technicians with a response rate of 44%. Safety climate attributes were conducted to reduce by Factor analysis and identified five critical safety dimensions which together explained 61% of the total variance. One way ANOVA results show that there were no statistically significant differences for characteristics such as age, experience and job category at the 5% significance level. Employees' perceptions on the five safety climate dimensions differ significantly among the four groups on the basis of their factor scores in safety climate dimensions at the p< 0.05 significance level. In order to improve safety climate, based on the study results, more attention should be paid to safety training and management support.

O OR RI IG GI IN NA AL L A AR RT TI IC CL LE E An Empirical Investigation of Safety Climate in Emergency Medical Technicians in Iran

This paper discusses empirical research aimed at investigating the most important dimensions of safety climate from Emergency Medical technician's perspective. Investigation was conducted through the safety climate questionnaire (SCQ) in Tehran Emergency Organization. After a literature review, a 21-item questionnaire was developed and administered to 600 technicians. In order to indentify the structure of safety climate Factor analysis was used with varimax rotation method using SPSS 17 software. Data on safety climate were collected by completed questionnaire from 266 technicians with a response rate of 44%. Safety climate attributes were conducted to reduce by Factor analysis and identified five critical safety dimensions which together explained 61% of the total variance. One way ANOVA results show that there were no statistically significant differences for characteristics such as age, experience and job category at the 5% significance level. Employees' perceptions on t...

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

Saudi Medical Journal, 2018

Objectives: 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.

Healthcare Workers' Readiness and Emergency Preparedness at the National Center for Disaster Management, Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Merit journals , 2023

The term "disaster" a widespread destruction of the environment, economics, healthcare, and social infrastructure that may disrupt the individuals' or whole communities' ability to use their resources to overcome such events. Disaster preparedness usually includes a variety of activities, programs, and systems that should be implemented before an event occurs. As soon as such policies are developed, they should be implemented into the healthcare system and all healthcare workers should be trained in their implementation. The current study investigated emergency preparedness and factors which may affect healthcare workers' readiness at the National Center of Disaster Management in Riyadh district. This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. The survey was conducted in December 2022 on an online platform with primary data collection and a non-probabilistic purposive sample. The study involved 80 healthcare workers from the National Center for Disaster Management in Riyadh district. The responses were quantified using descriptive statistics including frequencies, means, percentages, and standard deviations. According to the survey, 41 (51.2%) of respondents reported they were somewhat prepared, while 22 (27.5%) reported they were somewhat unprepared. More than one-quarter of the healthcare workers 23 (28.7%) did not take any training in disaster management. There were some gaps in disaster preparedness among healthcare providers. In the study, healthcare workers did not perceive themselves as fully prepared for disasters and were unaware of disaster management protocols. During disaster preparedness, recommendations are made for enhancing clinical and educational efforts in healthcare workplaces.

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of Emergency Medical Services-Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (EMS-SAQ

y enhancement play a significant role in reducing accidents and injuries resulting from patient care practices [5]. Among the dimensions of public culture, patient safety culture has emerged as a top priority for healthcare facilities. Its essence lies in the prevention, improvement, and rectification of adverse events stemming from the healthcare delivery process [6]. Research findings reveal that a concerning percentage of hospital-admitted patients-around 3-17%-experience preventable injuries or complications. These incidents highlight the necessity for healthcare facilities to adopt straightforward yet effective methods to enhance patient safety [7]. Establishing a comprehensive view of patient safety is vital for medical centers to leverage these methods effectively.

Evaluation of the Medical Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Awareness Level of Emergency Healthcare Professionals Serving on Different Centres

The Journal of Basic and Clinical Health Sciences, 2020

The aim of this study was to compare the medical chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) awareness of emergency healthcare professionals from two different centres. Methods: The survey was conducted among 67 healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics from two emergency departments of two different cities. A questionnaire that was designed in order to evaluate demographic data (age, gender, job description, education level) and knowledge/experience about medical CBRN was filled by participants during the face-toface interviews. All data were evaluated statistically in order to obtain mean awareness score (MAS) of participants and institutions. Results: It was found that MAS of the whole participants is 7.62±3.92. There was a statistically significant difference observed between MAS of Training and Research Hospital (6.75±3.97) and State Hospital (8.64±3.65) (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was concluded that emergency health professionals should be ready for CBRN incidents and awareness level of health professionals is the most objective indicator of medical CBRN preparedness of emergency departments just like in global COVID-19 outbreak response.