Disaster Preparedness Training Relevance for Organizational Response Effectiveness: A Healthcare Executive...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Disaster Preparedness
• Emergency Response Training

Background:

• Pre-COVID-19 studies identified hospital preparedness gaps for disasters and public health emergencies.
• The COVID-19 pandemic and recent disasters exposed significant organizational weaknesses in response.
• Healthcare leaders require targeted training to address these vulnerabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential training for healthcare executives to prepare for future disasters and health emergencies.
• To understand the perceived effectiveness of different training methods for hospital leadership.

Main Methods:

• A survey was developed using existing literature and expert insights from healthcare executives and disaster medicine specialists.
• The study targeted hospital executives across various roles, including C-suite, operations, and clinical leadership.
• Respondents shared their experiences and perceptions of disaster preparedness training.

Main Results:

• Scenario planning, including tabletop exercises and role-playing, was identified as the most relevant training method.
• Establishing an emergency operations center was deemed the least relevant training activity.
• Relevant training enhances healthcare executives' self-perceived preparedness, leading to greater confidence in organizational response effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Evaluating healthcare executives' perceived preparedness is vital for improving leadership and organizational effectiveness during crises.
• Proactive strategies are necessary for organizations and leaders to effectively manage unpredictable future emergencies.
• Simulation-based training is key to building confidence and enhancing disaster response capabilities in healthcare leadership.