Assessment of emergency management capabilities for public health emergencies in China

To analyze emergency management capabilities for public health emergencies in China and provide a basis for decision-making aimed at enhancing these capabilities.

Based on data from 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2019 to 2023, explanatory factor analysis was used to identify the main factors of the 16 evaluation indicators reflecting emergency management capabilities for public health emergencies, calculate the factor scores for each year, and rank them.

Four main factors were extracted from the 16 evaluation indicators, and the cumulative variance explained after rotation was 85.172%, indicating a satisfactory extraction results. The factor scoring model is F = 0.397 × F₁ + 0.266 × F₂ + 0.171 × F₃ + 0.165 × F₄, where F₁ is designated as the multi-stakeholder coordination factor, F₂ is designated as the socioeconomic operation factor, F₃ is designated as the healthcare security factor, and F₄ is designated as the infrastructure construction factor. In 2023, Beijing, Henan and Sichuan ranked in the top three with comprehensive factor scores of 0.805, 0.785, and 0.720, respectively, indicating that these three regions have strong emergency management capabilities. In 2023, Ningxia, Hainan, and Tibet ranked in the bottom three with comprehensive factor scores, with scores of -0.891, -1.002, and -1.423, respectively, indicating that these three regions have relatively weak emergency management capabilities. From 2019 to 2023, emergency management capability rankings remained relatively stable in most regions, though significant changes were observed in regions such as Tianjin, Fujian, Guizhou, and Jilin.

Emergency management capacity in China is primarily influenced by the multi-stakeholder coordination factor, socioeconomic operation factor and healthcare security factor. The development of emergency management capacity varies across different regions in China. Regions such as Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Henan have relatively strong emergency management capabilities, while regions such as Ningxia, Qinghai, and Tibet have relatively weak emergency management capabilities.