Hostname: page-component-669899f699-7tmb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T08:49:36.726Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Barriers and Facilitators Toward Disaster Knowledge, Skills, and Preparedness among Emergency Medical Services in Saudi Arabia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 December 2024

Yasir Almukhlifi Open the ORCID record for Yasir Almukhlifi [Opens in a new window] ,
Gary Crowfoot  and
Alison Hutton Open the ORCID record for Alison Hutton [Opens in a new window]
Yasir Almukhlifi*
Affiliation:
College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Gary Crowfoot
Affiliation:
School of Nursing & Midwifery, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Alison Hutton
Affiliation:
School of Nursing & Midwifery, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
*
Correspondence: Dr. Yasir Almukhlifi, PhD College of Applied Medical Sciences King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Jeddah, Saudi Arabia E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

Disasters pose significant challenges globally, affecting millions of people annually. In Saudi Arabia, floods constitute a prevalent natural disaster, underscoring the necessity for effective disaster preparedness among Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers. Despite their critical role in disaster response, research on disaster preparedness among EMS workers in Saudi Arabia is limited.

Study Objective/Methods:

The study aimed to explore the disaster preparedness among EMS workers in Saudi Arabia. This study applied an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to explore disaster preparedness among EMS workers in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the qualitative phase. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 EMS workers from National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities in Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah. Thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s six-step process, ensuring data rigor through Schwandt, et al’s criteria for trustworthiness.

Findings:

The demographic characteristics of participants revealed a predominantly young, male workforce with varying levels of experience and educational backgrounds. Thematic analysis identified three key themes: (1) Newly/developed profession, highlighting the challenges faced by young EMS workers in acquiring disaster preparedness; (2) Access to opportunities and workplace resources (government versus military), indicating discrepancies in disaster preparedness support between government and military hospitals; and (3) Workplace policies and procedures, highlighting the need for clearer disaster policies, training opportunities, and role clarity among EMS workers.

Conclusion:

The study underscores the importance of addressing the unique challenges faced by EMS workers in Saudi Arabia to enhance disaster preparedness. Recommendations include targeted support for young EMS professionals, standardization of disaster training across health care facilities, and improved communication of disaster policies and procedures. These findings have implications for policy and practice in disaster management and EMS training in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords

disaster medicineEmergency Medical ServicesknowledgeparamedicpreparednessSaudi Arabiaskills
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 39 , Issue 6 , December 2024 , pp. 395 - 401
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

EM-DAT: The Emergency Events Database. Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) – Brussels, Belgium. 2020. www.emdat.be. Accessed February 20, 2021.Google Scholar
Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The Human Cost of Disasters - An overview of the last 20 years 2000-2019. 2020. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/human-cost-disasters-overview-last-20-years-2000-2019. Accessed February 20, 2021.Google Scholar
Abosuliman, SS, Kumar, A, Alam, F, Rashid, A. Disaster preparedness and management in Saudi Arabia: an empirical investigation. International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering. 2013;3(3):196–208.Google Scholar
Alrehaili, NR. A systematic review of the emergency planning for flash floods response in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Australian Journal of Emergency Management. 2021;36(4):82–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al Thobaity, A, Plummer, V, Innes, K, Copnell, B. Perceptions of knowledge of disaster management among military and civilian nurses in Saudi Arabia. Australas Emerg Nurs J. 2015;18(3):156–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Inter-Agency Standing Committee, World Health Organization. Health Cluster Guide: A Practical Guide for Country-Level Implementation of the Health Cluster. 2011. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/70128/WHO_HAC_MAN_2009.7_eng.pdf. Accessed February 20, 2021.Google Scholar
Ministry of Health. Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan Guidelines. Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Health. 2021.Google Scholar
Alazmy, W, Samarkandi, O, Williams, B. The history of emergency medical services response to mass casualty incidents in disasters, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma, & Acute Care. 2020;2020(1):3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Almukhlifi, Y. Disaster Preparedness Among Emergency Medical Services Worker in Saudi Arabia. Thesis. University of Newcastle, Australia. 2022.Google Scholar
Alharthy, A, Almutairi, M, Alshehri, M, Eshaq, A. Disaster preparedness in Saudi hospitals: awareness and attitudes of staff. J Emerg Manag. 2017;15(4):307–317.Google Scholar
Alanazy, A, Fraser, J, Wark, S. Provision of Emergency Medical Services in rural and urban Saudi Arabia: an overview of personnel experiences. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management. 2021;16(2):i559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alshammari, T, Jennings, PA, Williams, B. Evolution of emergency medical services in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma, & Acute Care. 2017;2017(1):4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alharthy, N, Mutairi, MA, Alsahli, A, et al. Workplace violence among emergency medical services workers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Hospital Administration. 2017;6(3):26–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ALobaid, AM, Gosling, C, McKenna, L, Williams, B. Perceptions of EMS leaders and supervisors on the challenges faced by female paramedics in Riyadh Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study. Int J Emerg Services. 2021;10(2):235–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. EMS Programs and Certifications. 2020. https://www.scfhs.org.sa/. Accessed February 20, 2021.Google Scholar
Hammad, KS, Arbon, P, Gebbie, K, Hutton, A. Nursing in the emergency department (ED) during a disaster: a review of the current literature. Australas Emerg Nurs J. 2012;15(4):235–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Öztekin, SD, Larson, EE, Akahoshi, M, Öztekin, D. Critical care nurses’ disaster preparedness and organizational support. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2016;48(1):65–73.Google Scholar
AlShammari, T, Jennings, P, Williams, B. National study of Saudi Arabian emergency medical services professional profiles: an inferential analysis. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine. 2019;16:1–9.Google Scholar
DeJonckheere, M, Vaughn, LM. Semi-structured interviewing in primary care research; a balance of relationship and rigor. Fam Med Community Health. 2019;7(57):e000057.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horton, J, Macve, R, Struyven, G. Qualitative research: experiences in using semi-structured interviews. The Real Life Guide to Accounting Research. 2004;339–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tong, A, Sainsbury, P, Craig, J. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007;19(6):349–357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Creswell, JW. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California USA: Sage Publications. 2014.Google Scholar
Francis, JJ, Johnston, M, Robertson, C, et al. What is an adequate sample size? Operationalizing data saturation for theory-based interview studies. Psychology and Health. 2010;25(10):1229–1245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, JL. The use of saturation in qualitative research. Can J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2012;22(2):37–46.Google ScholarPubMed
Polit, D.F. and Beck, C.T. (2012) Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice. Wolters Kluwer Health, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Braun, V, Clarke, V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 2006 Jan;3(2):77–101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwandt, TA, Lincoln, YS, Guba, EG. Judging interpretations: but is it rigorous? Trustworthiness and authenticity in naturalistic evaluation. New Directions for Evaluation. 2007;114:11–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra: NHMRC, Australian Research Council and Universities Australia. 2018.Google Scholar
Albanese, J, Paturas, J. Disaster and emergency management: a case study of the role of education and training in preparedness and response. J Emerg Manag. 2018;16(3):187.Google Scholar
Al Khalaileh, MA, Bond, E, Alasad, JA. Jordanian nurses’ perceptions of their preparedness for disaster management. Int Emerg Nurs. 2012;20(1):14–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Almukhlifi, Y, Crowfoot, G, Wilson, A, Hutton, A. Emergency healthcare workers’ preparedness for disaster management: an integrative review. J Clin Nurs. 2021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Albanese, J, Paturas, J. The importance of critical thinking skills in disaster management. J Bus Contin Emer Plan. 2018;11(4):326–334.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paton, D, Jackson, D. Developing disaster management capability: an assessment center approach. Disaster Prevention and Management. 2002;1(2):115–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paton, D, Jackson, D. Disaster and emergency management: strategies for enhancing preparedness. Disaster Prevention and Management. 2002;11(3):210–216.Google Scholar
Tzeng, WC, Feng, HP, Cheng, WT, et al. Readiness of hospital nurses for disaster responses in Taiwan: a cross-sectional study. Nurse Education Today. 2016;47:37–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
King, HC, Spritzer, N, Al-Azzeh, N. Perceived knowledge, skills, and preparedness for disaster management among military health care personnel. Mil Med. 2019;184(9-10):e548–e554.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Al-Hunaishi, W, Hoe, VC, Chinna, K. Factors associated with healthcare workers willingness to participate in disasters: a cross-sectional study in Sana’a, Yemen. BMJ Open. 2019;9(10):e030547.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Setyawati, AD, Lu, YY, Liu, CY, Liang, SY. Disaster knowledge, skills, and preparedness among nurses in Bengkulu, Indonesia: a descriptive correlational survey study. J Emerg Nurs. 2020;46(5):633–641.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taskiran, G, Baykal, U. Nurses’ disaster preparedness and core competencies in Turkey: a descriptive correlational design. International Nursing Review. 2019;66(2):165–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catlett, CL, Jenkins, JL, Millin, MG. Role of emergency medical services in disaster response: resource document for the National Association of EMS Physicians position statement. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2011;15(3):420–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, AC, Pandey, SK. Leadership in street-level bureaucracy: an exploratory study of supervisor-worker interactions in emergency medical services. International Review of Public Administration. 2013;18(1):7–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Öztekin, SD, Larson, EE, Akahoshi, M, Öztekin, İ. Japanese nurses’ perception of their preparedness for disasters: quantitative survey research on one prefecture in Japan. Japan Journal of Nursing Science. 2016;13(3):391–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hammad, KS, Arbon, P, Gebbie, KM, Hutton, A. Nursing in the emergency department: the impact of the professional practice environment on nurses’ responses to practice dilemmas. International Journal of Nursing Practice. 2012;18(5):448–456.Google Scholar
Bumblauskas, D, Vyas, N. The convergence of online teaching and problem-based learning modules amid the covid-19 pandemic. Electronic Journal of e-Learning. 2021;19(3):147–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Almukhlifi et al. supplementary material

Almukhlifi et al. supplementary material
Download Almukhlifi et al. supplementary material(File)
File 16.1 KB