What is Disaster Readiness Among Health Care Professionals? A Systematic Integrative Review Study.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the meaning of disaster readiness among health care professionals.

METHODS

A systematic, integrative literature review was conducted on PubMed, Chinal plus with full text, Web of Science, PsychInfo, and Scopus. Quality appraisal was conducted using the CASP checklists.

RESULTS

A total of 22 scientific articles were included. Disaster readiness, from the perspectives of health care professionals, was defined as having sufficient skills and confidence to respond, having access to the necessary equipment, being able to adapt to the changing environment and organizational structure, and being willing to serve in a disaster.

CONCLUSIONS

Disaster readiness is more than being prepared. Disaster readiness means moving beyond technical skills and knowledges to include personal mental preparedness and a willingness to confront the risks and take necessary precautions to stay safe and resilient in the efforts to help others. To enhance disaster readiness, preparations should include introducing elements that touch the soul, providing moral and personal motivation to serve in a disaster, and initiating thoughts on what such deployments or situations could be like for those affected as well as for health care professionals. How to enhance such trainings and develop effective training methods must be a focus for future studies.