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VOLUME 4 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2016 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

How Prepared are Hospital Employees for Internal Fire Disasters? A Study of an Indian Hospital

Kasturi Shukla, Priyadarshini Chandrashekhar, Shweta Mehta

Citation Information : Shukla K, Chandrashekhar P, Mehta S. How Prepared are Hospital Employees for Internal Fire Disasters? A Study of an Indian Hospital. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2016; 4 (1):20-24.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10035-1055

Published Online: 01-09-2015

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2016; The Author(s).


Abstract

Introduction

In case of internal disasters, such as fire in hospitals, health services to the community are severely hampered with the additional morbidity of victims, such as employees and visitors present when the disaster strikes. Risk assessment and fire preparedness are most crucial proactive measures to prevent fire disasters and minimize the loss in a hospital; however, scanty studies are available on this topic.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted at a multispecialty hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra (India), during March. April 2014. Fire-Safety Preparedness Framework (FSPF) was designed with four domains (risk and vulnerability assessment, response mechanisms and strategies, preparedness plan and information management) for evaluation of fire safety preparedness of hospital employees. Baseline variables were summarized; instrument was tested for reliability using Cronbach's alpha and content validity through review by experts. The number of correct responses for each question was further analyzed across the type of employee.

Results

The instrument showed high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89, p-value. 0.01) and content validity. A total of 207 employees (mean age 32) 8.3 years, 63% females) consented and participated in the study. Out of 20 questions, awareness was high (90%) only for three questions from Response mechanism and strategies-domain. For the remaining questions, awareness was moderate to low. The awareness varied highly with the type of employee.

Conclusion

The FSPF is a reliable tool for application in the Indian context for hospital employees. Disaster preparedness training and drill need to involve employees from all departments as awareness levels varied highly with type of employee.

How to cite this article

Shukla K, Chandrashekhar P, Mehta S. How Prepared are Hospital Employees for Internal Fire Disasters? A Study of an Indian Hospital. Int J Res Foundation Hospc Health Adm 2016;4(1):20-24.


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