Letter to the EditorDMR
Seeking Participants for Study of HurricanesKatrina and Rita Responders
Dear Editor:As we prepare for another hurricane season, the na-
tion can’t help but look back at previous storms andtheir level of destruction. All of us remember Hurri-canes Katrina and Rita and the pictures of devastationdthose of us not involved were glued to our televisionsets every evening. National response plans call forthe establishment of alternative field medical facili-ties, staffed by volunteers, to treat thousands of vic-tims of large-scale events. Federal planners assumethat trained and competent health care workers willvolunteer to staff these facilities.
At present, no systematic examination of the pre-paredness of health care providers and their responsecapabilities during a large-scale response has oc-curred. Few studies have addressed whether volun-teers are prepared and competent to function inthese roles. As a result, very little is known aboutwhat knowledge, skills, and abilities or professionalcompetencies are needed or if these competencieschange in each disaster phase. This information is crit-ical in designing effective national response plans andfuture training content.
Disaster Manage Response 2007;5:98.
1540-2487/$32.00
Published by Elsevier Inc.
98 Disaster Management & Response/Letter to the Editor
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were the first real testsof this alternative, nonhospital concept. To examinethese events, I am conducting an anonymous studyto examine the specific professional competencies ofregistered nurses and physicians that were importantto these responses. The study, approved by the Uni-form Services University Institutional Review Board,is Web-based with an alternative downloadable ver-sion for persons with slow Internet connections orthe need to be ‘‘on the go,’’ for which respondentswill be reimbursed mailing costs. The study examinespre-event and post-event transitions as well as 2 spe-cific competenciesdbasic clinical care and triagedand it can be completed in less than 1 hour.
I am hoping that your readers will contribute to en-larging the body of science in disaster response andemergency preparedness by participating in the study.The study can be found at http://www.usuhs.mil/disastersurvey. Thank you.
CAPT Lynn A. Slepski, RN, MSN, PhD (c), CCNSUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesE-mail: [email protected]
doi: 10.1016/j.dmr.2007.09.003
Volume 5, Number 4
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