Atakro Confidence A, Addo Stella B, Aboagye Janet S, Blay Alice A, Amoa-Gyarteng Kwaku G, Menlah Awube, Garti Isabella, Agyare Dorcas F, Junior Kumah K, Sarpong Limmy
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
Christian Service University College, Kumasi, Ghana.
SAGE Open Nurs. 2019 May 3;5:2377960819844378. doi: 10.1177/2377960819844378. eCollection 2019 Jan-Dec.
Terrorist attacks are increasingly becoming more lethal and less discriminate. The threat of bioterrorism is increasing daily. The ease of production and the broad availability of biological agents and technical know-how have led to a further spread of biological weapons and an increased desire among nations as well as terrorists to have them. Health professionals in emergency departments are expected to play crucial roles in the management of victims of bioterrorism when bioterrorism occurs. This study explored the knowledge, attitudes, and preparedness of emergency department nurses and medical officers (MOs) toward potential bioterrorist attacks in Ghana. This qualitative study utilized focus group discussions and semistructured interviews to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and preparedness of emergency department nurses and MOs toward potential bioterrorist attacks in Ghana. Data were subjected to a qualitative content analysis in which three main thematic categories were developed. These thematic categories are as follows: (a) differences in bioterrorism knowledge between emergency department nurses and emergency department MOs, (b) unprepared emergency department nurses and MOs for care during bioterrorism attacks, and (c) positive attitudes of emergency department nurses and MOs toward bioterrorism preparedness. Although emergency MOs had better knowledge of bioterrorism than their nursing counterparts, both groups of health professionals were unprepared to respond to any form of bioterrorism. Both nurses and MOs indicated the need for staff education and infrastructure readiness to be able to respond effectively to a bioterrorist attack. A well-prepared emergency department and health professionals against bioterrorism could prevent high casualty rates in a bioterrorist attack and also serve a dual purpose of dealing with other natural disasters when they occur.
恐怖袭击的致死性越来越高，且愈发不分青红皂白。生物恐怖主义的威胁与日俱增。生物制剂的生产简便以及技术诀窍的广泛可得，导致生物武器进一步扩散，各国乃至恐怖分子拥有生物武器的欲望也不断增强。一旦发生生物恐怖主义事件，预计急诊科的医护人员将在生物恐怖主义受害者的救治中发挥关键作用。本研究探讨了加纳急诊科护士和医务人员对潜在生物恐怖袭击的知识、态度和准备情况。这项定性研究利用焦点小组讨论和半结构化访谈，来探究加纳急诊科护士和医务人员对潜在生物恐怖袭击的知识、态度和准备情况。对数据进行了定性内容分析，形成了三个主要主题类别。这些主题类别如下：(a) 急诊科护士和急诊科医务人员在生物恐怖主义知识方面的差异；(b) 急诊科护士和医务人员在生物恐怖主义袭击期间未做好护理准备；(c) 急诊科护士和医务人员对生物恐怖主义防范持积极态度。尽管急诊科医务人员比护士同行对生物恐怖主义有更好的了解，但这两组医护人员都没有做好应对任何形式生物恐怖主义的准备。护士和医务人员均表示需要对工作人员进行教育，并做好基础设施准备，以便能够有效应对生物恐怖袭击。一个对生物恐怖主义做好充分准备的急诊科和医护人员，可以在生物恐怖袭击中防止高伤亡率，并且在其他自然灾害发生时还能起到应对的双重作用。
