A survey comparison of rural versus urban residents and household preparedness

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine how effective the state's campaign has been in informing rural and urban residents who are reliant on electronic medical equipment about the campaign and (b) determine how effective the state campaign has been in informing medical suppliers about the campaign. Approximately 2,000 residents were interviewed about their understanding of the emergency preparedness campaign. Results indicate that approximately 74% of the rural residents and 82% or the urban residents using electronic medical equipment were unaware of the state's disaster preparedness program. Implications for home health clinicians are discussed.