A vast number of people annually are affected by natural disasters. Children are at risk of losing their lives and suffer mentally or physically after such events. The fostering of resilience and preparedness ahead of disasters can reduce untoward effects of disastrous events. Risk communication and disaster education are considered important aspects of disaster preparedness, but little is know...

INTRODUCTION Many training programmes in postgraduate medical education (PGME) have introduced competency frameworks, but the effects of this change on preparedness for practice are unknown. Therefore, we explored how elements of competency-based programmes in PGME (educational innovations, attention to competencies and learning environment) were related to perceived preparedness for practice a...

Authoratative government pandemic preparedness requires an evidence-based approach. The scientific advisory process that has informed the current UK pandemic preparedness plans is described. The final endorsed scientific papers are now publicly available.

BACKGROUND Improved knowledge of obstetric danger signs, birth preparedness practices, and readiness for emergency complications are among the strategies aimed at both enhancing utilization of maternal health services and increasing access to skilled care during childbirth, particularly for women with obstetric complications. It is unclear whether knowledge of danger signs translates into impro...

Low-income immigrant Latinos are particularly vulnerable to disasters because they are both ill-prepared and disproportionately affected. Disaster preparedness programs that are culturally appropriate must be developed and tested. To develop such a program, we conducted 12 focus groups with low-income immigrant Latinos to understand their perceptions and understanding of disaster preparedness, ...

Ever since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the federal government increased funding for emergency preparedness. However, the literature continues to document several areas of weaknesses in public health emergency management by local health departments (LHD). This literature review discusses the role of information technology (IT) for emergency preparedness by LHDs. The focus areas for this revie...

The Y2K threat provides an excellent case study of organizational perception of and adjustment to risks. Utilizing qualitative data collected from focus group interviews with thirteen health care organizations, this paper examines hospital risk perception and preparedness for the Y2K computer problem. The potential for a date-specific failure of technological systems required hospitals to ident...

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of articles that cover aspects of disaster mental health preparedness. This assessment was done by a thorough review and summary of the available studies which provided a considerable background and amplified the gaps in knowledge about community mental health preparedness. By this systematic review, we tried to identify available c...

The research examined preparedness for repatriation, cultural identity change, and attributions of causality on the repatriation experience. Forty-four American managers returning from 6 months to 4 years abroad participated in the study. In line with the predictions, preparedness for repatriation and cultural identity change predicted repatriation distress. Those repatriates who were the least...

Examination of social capital and its relationship to disaster preparedness has grown in prominence partially due to world-wide need to effectively respond to terrorist attacks, viral epidemics, or natural disasters. Recent studies suggested that social capital may be related to a community's ability to plan for and respond to such disasters. Few studies, however, have examined social capital c...