Knowledge on disaster preparedness and associated work related factors among allied health professionals at Teaching hospital, Jaffna

Abstract

Abstract—Time to time as Sri Lankans, we have faced major natural hazards. Though disasters create a heavy physical and psychological burden for the members of the healthcare team, their preparedness to meet the disaster is utmost important as they are in the frontline of disaster management. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of knowledge on disaster preparedness and associated work related among allied health professionals at Teaching Hospital, Jaffna. A descriptive cross-sectional study was done with 300 allied health professionals recruited using stratified random sampling method. A multi sectional self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Correlation analysis and independent sample t-test and ANOVA were performed to identify associated factors. The mean age of participants was 34.5(SD±8.031) years. More than half of the participants were Nurses (n=209, 69.7%). The following work related factors were statistically significant on knowledge of disaster preparedness among allied health professionals. Travelling distance from residence was positively correlated with knowledge on disaster preparedness r (300) =0.123, p=0.033. Educational status, occupation and professional experiences were statistically significant associated factors for knowledge on disaster preparedness (p<0.001). There is a huge gap between the knowledge level on disaster and current needs of disaster preparedness among allied health professionals. They had limited opportunities for training. Specially nurses had that kind of practices than other allied health professionals. Therefore, training should be provided focusing on the specific gaps identified. Disaster preparedness should be rehearsed possibly through training and simulation exercises because training and education in disaster preparedness are considered as back bone.