Exercises are an essential component of preparedness and should be used to enhance capability and contribute to continuous improvement. An exercise can be as simple as a planning group discussing an emergency plan or as complex as a major multi-agency event involving several organizations and participants. This study aims to identify and conceptualize quality indicators (QIs) influencing prehospital disaster exercises across structure, conduct, and outcome.

This research was conducted through a systematic review and searching of the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used for systematic search, and the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) was used for quality assessment of the final extracted articles.

From an initial set of 3,083 articles, 10 high-quality studies were included for analysis. The quality indicators influencing prehospital disaster exercises were analyzed into 3 themes, 8 categories, and 21 subcategories. The primary themes and related main categories included: Exercise structure QIs (knowledge promotion and cognitive skills, supply of exercise hardware and software requirements and resources desirable management), Exercise conduct QIs (practical proficiency in essential skills and decision-making capacity), and Exercise outcome QIs (evaluation and reporting of exercise, promotion of managerial capabilities and competencies, and development of psychological capabilities).

The findings of this research present a knowledge framework that can help exercise planners in prehospital settings in designing scientifically sound and standardized exercises aimed at enhancing disaster response processes. Furthermore, the implementation and evaluation of both discussion-based and operation-based disaster exercises informed by these identified quality indicators can foster the development of knowledge and promote behavioral change among prehospital staff, and facilitate a standardized response to emergencies and disasters.

The growing frequency of global disasters highlighted the need to integrate technology into disaster management. This systematic review describes the global landscape of mobile phone technologies for natural hazard-induced disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

A systematic review was conducted by searching databases, including Embase and MEDLINE, for studies published in English between 2000 and March 2024 that examined mobile applications for disaster management.

The review included 26 studies covering 77 mobile apps across 14 countries. Most apps were privately owned (78.26%), supported multiple disaster phases (41.56%), and favored the Android platform (46.67%), with GPS being the most common technology (15.58%). Apps primarily targeted the general public (63.64%) and focused on earthquakes (32.47%) and hurricanes (31.17%). Despite their potential, adoption remains low; only 11.33% (6 apps) exceeded 1 million downloads, while 33.96% failed to surpass 1,000 downloads.

This review highlights significant gaps in the development, adoption, and impact of disaster management apps, especially in high-risk regions. Future efforts must focus on enhancing accessibility, addressing user needs, expanding features, and fostering stakeholder collaboration to improve the effectiveness of mobile technologies in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Evaluate and improve the accuracy of disaster triage decisions for pediatric patients among clinicians of various training levels using the Sort, Assess, Life-Saving Intervention, Treatment/Transport (SALT) triage system.

We used an online pediatric disaster triage module to evaluate and improve accuracy of triage decisions. During a pre- and post-test activity, participants triaged 20 fictional patients. Between activities, participants completed a didactic covering concepts of disaster triage, SALT triage, and pediatric limitations of triage systems. We assessed accuracy and improvement with non-parametric tests.

There were 48 participants: 27 pediatric emergency medicine attendings (56%), 9 pediatric emergency medicine fellows (19%), 12 pediatric residents (25%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) pre-test percent accuracy across all participants was 75 (IQR 65-85). Attendings scored higher than residents 80 (IQR 73-88) compared to 60 (IQR 55-65, P < 0.01) but not significantly higher than fellows 75 (IQR 70-85, P = 0.6). For the 44 participants who completed both the pre- and post-test, median score significantly improved from 75 (65-85) to 80 (75-90), P < 0.01.

The accuracy of triage decisions varies at different training levels. An online module can deliver just-in-time triage training and improve accuracy of triage decisions for pediatric patients, especially among pediatric residents.

To describe the results of the Federal Center for Disaster Medicine field hospital work in an outpatient setting in Aleppo, Syria, during the delayed period after the earthquake (from days 33 to 67) for 35 days.

A retrospective analysis of routinely collected patient data from March 10 to April 13, 2023, was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient demographics, disease spectrum (according to ICD-10), and procedures.

6812 patients were examined and consulted by various specialists. Of all patients, 40.6% were under the age of 18. In adults, the most commonly diagnosed conditions were diseases of the musculoskeletal system (27.1%), eye diseases (12.0%), circulatory diseases (10.1%), and respiratory diseases (10.0%). Among children, the most common reasons for admission were infectious diseases (68.9%), with respiratory tract infections being the most frequent (48.0%). Surgical interventions were performed in 150 cases; 61 patients required hospitalization.

During disasters, the needs of the population for various types of medical care vary significantly. The main causes of variability, in our opinion, are the time period of work from the disaster onset; the situation in the country and in the healthcare system, preceding the disaster; the climatic conditions during work; and the local endemicity of diseases.

This research evaluated Australian governmental disaster inquiries to identify evidence of application of the social determinants of health within their recommendations.

An analysis was conducted of recommendations from published Australian disaster inquiry reports between 2007 and 2020 against the Social Determinants of Health framework’s three overarching principles of action as described by the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2005-2008.

Between 2007 and 2020, eight disaster inquiries were conducted, yielding 612 recommendations. Of these reports, 120 recommendations (19.6%) showed alignment with the social determinants of health principles of action. Of these, 48 recommendations (7.8%) demonstrated action on overarching recommendation “Improve daily living conditions”; 59 recommendations (9.6%) demonstrated action on overarching recommendation “Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources”; and 13 recommendations (2.1%) demonstrated action on overarching recommendation “Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action.”

This low alignment underscores a critical gap in current Australian disaster inquiry practices, which historically prioritize emergency management and response over holistic health outcomes. There are opportunities to examine what roles the social environment and public health practice have in shaping disaster management policy and practice in ways that are conducive to strengthening more healthy, resilient societies.

Rural and urban environments are exposed to the same types of climate-induced disasters, but rural populations are considered particularly vulnerable to the adverse health effects associated with these disasters. This study compares individual-level public health preparedness for climate-induced disasters in rural versus urban environments and examines the impact of rurality on variables that influence preparedness attitudes and behaviors.

A national, online survey was conducted from April to June 2024. Chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression models with interaction terms were used to compare the preparedness attitudes and behaviors reported by rural and urban populations.

Rural and urban populations generally shared preparedness attitudes and behaviors, but several significant differences were observed. Regression analysis suggested that rurality interacted with age and income to play a significant role in modifying the odds of having an evacuation plan and reporting concern about the severity of future climate-induced disasters.

Rurality appears to influence certain attitudes and behaviors related to preparedness for climate-induced disasters. Should climate-induced behaviors become more frequent and severe in the future, dedicated efforts should be taken to ensure that these events do not exacerbate health disparities between rural and urban environments.

Preparation for mass casualty incidents (MCIs) requires knowledge of the number of victims to be treated on site and transferred to hospitals. The objective was to collect this information for MCIs with hospital admissions in Europe over the last 30 years.

This was a scoping review of MCIs with hospital admissions in Europe between 1991 and 2023. The study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines with PubMed, the Web of Science, Industrial and Transport Accident Reports, and two global databases on terrorism and disasters. Events with ten victims transferred to hospitals were included.

In total, 2,498 documents were identified, and 82 documents covering 62 MCIs were selected. In Europe, there was a median of 73 MCI: 9 victims died on site (12%), 48 were transferred to hospitals (66%), and 13 with serious casualties (17%). MCI is divided into 7 categories: explosion, ballistic, fire, road, ram raid, railway, and industrial accident.

By improving our knowledge of past MCIs and their casualty figures, we can now train more realistically and be better prepared to respond to future MCIs.

This study aimed to develop a disaster triage training program designed to enhance knowledge, skills, and resilience for disasters among nurses.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted at two government hospitals in Indonesia. One hundred and eight nurses were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a 4-hour triage training focused on mass casualty incidents. Disaster triage knowledge, skills, and resilience were assessed at three time points: before, immediately after, and 1 month following the intervention. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program.

The results of this study revealed that nurses in the experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in disaster triage knowledge, skills, and resilience compared to those in the control group at 2 post-test time points. In addition, feedback from trained nurses emphasized its relevance to local disaster scenarios, such as earthquakes and floods, and highlighted the value of hands-on practice and easily accessible learning materials.

The study demonstrates that disaster triage training can effectively enhance nurses’ preparedness for disasters. It is recommended that health care institutions integrate disaster-related content into regular on-the-job training programs for nurses and assess its effectiveness.

It is becoming increasingly evident that women are affected differently from men before, during, and after disasters. This study aims to evaluate the safety, health, and privacy concerns associated with earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, focusing on the impact on women.

The study is a case study design within a qualitative research approach. The data obtained were evaluated using the thematic analysis method. In the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 survivors of the earthquake. The data were analyzed with MAXQDA analysis software.

The study revealed that women have various health and safety risks. The main themes include experiences related to health, safety and privacy issues, hygiene, and other problems. Lack of adequate privacy, security problems, lack of appropriate resources and specialized facilities, women’s menstrual difficulties, exposure to or witnessing violence, and issues related to being alone were found to be important themes.

The root causes of women’s vulnerability during disasters should be identified, and programs should be designed to reduce this vulnerability. Strategies and policies based on the needs of women should be developed to reduce their future vulnerability. Inclusion of women in decision-making processes will be effective in the development of gender strategies.

This study examines the scope and trends of empirical research on training activities for flood disaster response teams.

A scoping review, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, was conducted in June 2024 across four electronic databases and grey literature. The analysis included experimental and quasi-experimental studies published since 2005. An initial pool of 1193 studies was identified, 18 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis.

These studies revealed three key themes: 1) evaluation and improvement of operational procedures, 2) preparation of response teams, and 3) management of health-related issues.

The results highlight the limited availability of empirical evidence in this area, reflecting the relatively small number of studies focusing specifically on training activities for flood disaster response teams. However, research in this field has shown growth since 2010, with a notable integration of educational technologies in most studies. Key training topics include psychological first aid and the evaluation of operational plans. Given the increasing frequency and severity of flood disasters due to global warming, further research is essential to develop and implement effective training programs, enabling response teams to address such emergencies more efficiently and comprehensively.

This study aimed to validate and ensure the reliability of the Turkish version of the Vitality Questionnaire, which captures traits advantageous for survival, to aid in systematic preparations for future disasters and life challenges.

In this study, the Scale of Eight Personal Characteristics Related to Vitality was translated into Turkish by three language experts, validity and reliability analyses were conducted, and a pilot test was carried out with 30 participants. Subsequently, between February 1 and March 1, 2024, online data were collected from 523 individuals across Turkey who had experienced disasters.

The average age of participants was 24.09 ± 7.60 years; 72.7% (n = 380) were female. Among participants, 79.2% (n = 359) had experienced an earthquake, 65.1% (n = 56) a flood, and 47.4% (n = 9) a fire. Analysis of the Eight Personal Traits Scale showed the original 8-factor structure was retained, with all item factor loadings above 0.40 and an explained variance of 61.180%. Therefore, no items were removed, and the 8-subdimension structure was accepted. Factor loadings ranged between 0.34 and 0.83. Internal consistency, evaluated through split-half reliability, was found to be at an acceptable level.

The analysis and evaluations conducted in this study concluded that the Eight Personal Traits Scale Related to Disaster Vitality is a valid and reliable measurement tool for the Turkish sample in identifying personal traits in the face of disasters.