Emergency preparedness training for public health nurses: a pilot study.
The Columbia Center for Public Health Preparedness, in partnership with the New York City Department of Health, recently developed an emergency preparedness training program for public health workers. A pilot training program was conducted for a group of school health nurses and evaluated using a pre/posttest design. A surprising finding was that 90% of the nurses reported at least one barrier to their ability to report to duty in the event of a public health emergency. The most frequently cited barriers included child/elder care responsibilities, lack of transportation, and personal health issues. These findings suggest that it may be prudent to identify and address potential barriers to public health workforce responsiveness to ensure the availability of the workforce during emergencies.
Columbia University Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Kristine A
KA
Qureshi
Jacqueline A
JA
Merrill
Robyn R M
RR
Gershon
Ayxa
A
Calero-Breckheimer
D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000193:education*; D012573:School Nursing / Q000193:education*