Disaster Research/Evaluation Frameworks, Part 1: An Overview-RETRACTED

Area of Science:

• Disaster Health Science
• Public Health Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Disaster research aims to minimize human, environmental, and economic losses, reduce morbidity, and enhance population recovery.
• Existing disaster health research lacks standardized, generalizable, and comparable data.
• Two main branches of disaster research are epidemiological and interventional.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce five standardized frameworks for structuring disaster health information and research.
• To facilitate comparable epidemiological studies and evaluations of interventions.
• To ensure standardized definitions for disaster-related terms.

Main Methods:

• Development of five frameworks: Conceptual, Longitudinal, Transectional Societal, Relief-Recovery, and Risk-Reduction.
• Conceptual Framework: Describes hazard progression to disaster.
• Longitudinal Framework: Chronological progression of disaster phases.
• Transectional Societal Framework: Deconstructs societal functions into 13 Basic Societal Systems.
• Relief-Recovery and Risk-Reduction Frameworks: Based on a Disaster Logic Model for evaluating interventions and mitigating risks.

Main Results:

• The frameworks provide a standardized format for studying disaster epidemiology and evaluating interventions.
• Conceptual, Longitudinal, and Transectional Societal Frameworks support epidemiological research.
• Relief-Recovery and Risk-Reduction Frameworks, combined with the others, support interventional research and evaluations.
• Standardized definitions are critical for all frameworks.

Conclusions:

• The five frameworks offer a standardized approach to disaster health research.
• These frameworks enhance the comparability and generalizability of disaster epidemiology and intervention evaluations.
• Implementation of these frameworks can improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.