Household Emergency Preparedness Instrument Development: A Delphi Study

Area of Science:

• Disaster Management
• Public Health
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Establishing a clear definition of household emergency preparedness is crucial for developing effective assessment tools.
• Existing instruments may lack comprehensiveness or reliability for all-hazards scenarios.
• International expert consensus is needed to define preparedness concepts accurately.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve expert consensus on the conceptual definition of household emergency preparedness.
• To facilitate the development of a comprehensive, valid, and reliable instrument for assessing preparedness.
• To establish a standardized approach for measuring household readiness for disasters.

Main Methods:

• A multi-disciplinary, international expert panel (n=154) was convened.
• The Delphi technique was employed to reach consensus on the definition and instrument.
• Literature searches and review of existing instruments informed the process.

Main Results:

• Consensus defined household emergency preparedness as completing preparedness actions and assembling a transportable evacuation kit.
• A 51-question instrument was developed, demonstrating strong validity (face, content, criterion) and reliability (α = 0.96).
• The instrument assesses preparedness actions and essential supplies for enduring disaster conditions like power/water loss.

Conclusions:

• A valid and reliable instrument enables replicable assessment of household preparedness levels.
• This assessment is vital for planning mitigation strategies and enhancing community resilience.
• The instrument can inform interventions for post-disaster health needs and support evidence-based public health initiatives.