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Disaster Healthcare Workers’ Experience of Using the Psychological First Aid Mobile App During Disaster Simulation Training

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2021

Yun-Jung Choi Open the ORCID record for Yun-Jung Choi [Opens in a new window] ,
Hae-Sun Jung ,
Eun-Ju Choi  and
Eunjung Ko Open the ORCID record for Eunjung Ko [Opens in a new window]
Yun-Jung Choi
Affiliation:
Chung-Ang University, Red Cross College of Nursing, Seoul, Korea
Hae-Sun Jung
Affiliation:
Dongducheon Mental Health Welfare Center, Dongducheon, Korea
Eun-Ju Choi
Affiliation:
Kyungin Women’s University, Department of Nursing, Incheon, Korea
Eunjung Ko*
Affiliation:
Kyungbok University, Department of Nursing, Namyangju, Korea
*
Corresponding author: Eunjung Ko, Email: jfirst@naver.com.
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Abstract

Objective:

The study aimed to examine the experience of disaster healthcare workers with simulation training using the Psychological First Aid (PFA) mobile app.

Methods:

This study was designed using qualitative research methodology with focus group interviews. The participants were 19 disaster healthcare workers from community mental health service centers who attended disaster simulation training in flood, fire, or leakage of hazardous chemicals. Before the simulation, participants were provided the PFA mobile app and allowed to practice the PFA techniques to apply them during the simulation. Data were collected through focus group interviews and qualitatively analyzed using the content analysis method.

Results:

The findings were divided into 6 categories: experience in realistic disaster situations, satisfaction with education methods using a mobile app, effectiveness of the PFA app in disaster relief, confidence in disaster relief by integrating experience and knowledge of the PFA app, self-reflection as a disaster healthcare worker, and identifying limitations and making developmental suggestions.

Conclusions:

Based on the participants’ developmental proposals in this study, the disaster simulation training, incorporating improvements in the disaster simulation training and the PFA app features, will serve as a new framework for disaster support education and systematic mental health services to survivors by disaster healthcare workers.

Keywords

disaster simulationdisaster healthcare workerspsychological first aidmobile appqualitative research
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e55
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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