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Characteristics of Effective Disaster Responders and Leaders: A Survey of Disaster Medical Practitioners

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2016

Richard V. King ,
Gregory Luke Larkin ,
Raymond L. Fowler ,
Dana L. Downs  and
Carol S. North
Richard V. King*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Care Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
Gregory Luke Larkin
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Auckland
Raymond L. Fowler
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dana L. Downs
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Altschuler Center for Education & Research, Metrocare Services.
Carol S. North
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Altschuler Center for Education & Research, Metrocare Services.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Richard V. King, PhD, Department of Health Care Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390 (e-mail: richardvking@ymail.com).
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Abstract

Objective

To identify key attributes of effective disaster/mass casualty first responders and leaders, thereby informing the ongoing development of a capable disaster health workforce.

Methods

We surveyed emergency response practitioners attending a conference session, the EMS State of the Science: A Gathering of Eagles. We used open-ended questions to ask participants to describe key characteristics of successful disaster/mass casualty first responders and leaders.

Results

Of the 140 session attendees, 132 (94%) participated in the survey. All responses were categorized by using a previously developed framework. The most frequently mentioned characteristics were related to incident command/disaster knowledge, teamwork/interpersonal skills, performing one’s role, and cognitive abilities. Other identified characteristics were related to communication skills, adaptability/flexibility, problem solving/decision-making, staying calm and cool under stress, personal character, and overall knowledge.

Conclusions

The survey findings support our prior focus group conclusion that important characteristics of disaster responders and leaders are not limited to the knowledge and skills typically included in disaster training. Further research should examine the extent to which these characteristics are consistently associated with actual effective performance of disaster response personnel and determine how best to incorporate these attributes into competency models, processes, and tools for the development of an effective disaster response workforce. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 4)

Keywords

disaster medicineemergency preparednesseducationpublic health professionalneeds assessmentcompetencies
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 5 , October 2016 , pp. 720 - 723
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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