Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T23:17:12.225Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What do They Know? Guidelines and Knowledge Translation for Foreign Health Sector Workers Following Natural Disasters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2018

Ola Dunin-Bell
Ola Dunin-Bell*
Affiliation:
McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
*
Correspondence: Ola Dunin-Bell, MSc, MD, FRCSC McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine Hamilton, Ontario, Canada E-mail: oladuninbell@me.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

The incidence of natural disasters is increasing worldwide, with countries the least well-equipped to mitigate or manage them suffering the greatest losses. Following natural disasters, ill-prepared foreign responders may become a burden to the affected population, or cause harm to those needing help.

Problem

The study was performed to determine if international guidelines for foreign workers in the health sector exist, and evidence of their implementation.

Methods

A structured literature search was used to identify guidelines for foreign health workers (FHWs) responding to natural disasters. Analysis of semi-structured interviews of health sector responders to the 2015 Nepal earthquake was then performed, looking at preparation and field activities.

Results

No guidelines were identified to address the appropriate qualifications of, and preparations for, international individuals participating in disaster response in the health sector. Interviews indicated individuals choosing to work with experienced organizations received training prior to disaster deployment and described activities in the field consistent with general humanitarian principles. Participants in an ad hoc team (AHT) did not.

Conclusions

In spite of need, there is a lack of published guidelines for potential international health sector responders to natural disasters. Learning about disaster response may occur only after joining a team.

Dunin-BellO. What do They Know? Guidelines and Knowledge Translation for Foreign Health Sector Workers Following Natural Disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(2):139–146.

Keywords

disaster medicineforeign health workernatural disasterNepal earthquakerelief work
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 139 - 146
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: none

References

1. Guha-Sapir, D, Hoyois, P, Below, R. Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2014. http://www.cred.be/sites/default/files/ADSR_2014.pdf. Published 2014. Accessed November 14, 2016.Google Scholar
2. Leaning, J, Guha-Sapir, D. Natural disasters, armed conflict, and public health. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(19):1836-1842.Google Scholar
3. McMichael, AJ, Friel, S, Nyong, A, Corvalan, C. Global environmental change and health: impacts, inequalities, and the health sector. BMJ. 2008;336(7637):191-194.Google Scholar
4. World Health Organization, Pan-American Health Organization. Guidelines for the use of foreign field hospitals in the aftermath of sudden-impact disaster. http://www.paho.org/disasters/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=674:who-paho-guidelines-for-the-use-of-foreign-field-hospitals-in-the-aftermath-of-sudden-impact-disaste&Itemid=924&lang=en. Published 2003. Accessed November 14, 2016.Google Scholar
5. Alexander, D. Globalization of disaster. J Int Aff. 2006;59(2):1-23.Google Scholar
6. Katoch, A. The responders’ cauldron: the uniqueness of international disaster response. J Int Aff. 2006;59(2):153-172.Google Scholar
7. Brolin, K, Hawajri, O, Schreeb von, J. Foreign medical teams in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan 2013 - who were they, when did they arrive, and what did they do? PLoS Curr. 2015;7.Google Scholar
8. de Ville de Goyet, C. Health lessons learned from the recent earthquakes and Tsunami in Asia. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2007;22(1):15-21.Google Scholar
9. Chu, K, Stokes, C, Trelles, M, Ford, N. Improving effective surgical delivery in humanitarian disasters: lessons from Haiti. PLoS. 2011;8(4):e1001025.Google Scholar
10. Devi, S. Helping earthquake-hit Haiti. Lancet. 2010;375:267-268.Google Scholar
11. Berger, E. A descent into apocalypse: emergency physicians respond to Haitian earthquake catastrophe. Ann Emerg Med. 2010;55(5):22A-25A.Google Scholar
12. Garner, AA, Harrison, K. Early post-tsunami disaster medical assistance to Banda Aceh: a personal account. EMA. 2006;18(1):93-96.Google Scholar
13. Rosborough, S. A tale of two responses: Haiti earthquake highlights the need for training in international disaster response. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2010;4(1):21-23.Google Scholar
14. Cranmer, HH, Biddinger, PD. Typhoon Haiyan and the professionalization of disaster response. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(13):1185-1187.Google Scholar
15. Emergency Medical Teams Global Classification Program. WHO 2016. Web site. https://extranet.who.int/emt/page/about-us. Accessed September 21, 2016.Google Scholar
16. Johnson, K, Idzerda, L, Baras, R, et al. Competency-based standardized training for humanitarian providers: making humanitarian assistance a professional discipline. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2013;7(04):369-372.Google Scholar
17. Andrews, RA, Quintana, LM. Unpredictable, unpreventable and impersonal medicine: global disaster response in the 21st century. EPMA Journal. 2015;6(2).Google Scholar
18. Djalali, A, Ingrassia, PL, Corte, FD, et al. Identifying deficiencies in national and foreign medical team responses through expert opinion surveys: implications for education and training. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(4):364-368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. Carbonnier, G. Reason, emotion, compassion: can altruism survive professionalization in the humanitarian sector? Disasters. 2015;39(2):189-207.Google Scholar
20. UNDP Supports Recovery after Earthquake in Nepal. United Nations Development Program. Web site. http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/our-projects-and-initiatives/NepalQuake.html. Accessed September 21, 2016.Google Scholar
21. Bown, MJ, Sutton, AJ. Quality control in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Sur. 2010;40(5):669-677.Google Scholar
22. Greenhalgh, T, Peacock, R. Effectiveness and efficiency of search methods in systematic reviews of complex evidence: audit of primary sources. BMJ. 2005;331(7524):1064-1065.Google Scholar
23. Corbin, J, Strauss, A. Basics of Qualitative Research. 3rd ed. London, UK: Sage Publications; 2008.Google Scholar
24. Heath, H, Cowley, S. Developing a grounded theory approach: a comparison of Glaser and Strauss. Int J Nurs Stud. 2004;41(2):141-150.Google Scholar
25. Sbaraini, A, Carter, SM, Evans, RW, Blinkhorn, A. How to do a grounded theory study: a worked example of a study of dental practices. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2011;11(1):128-137.Google Scholar
26. FMT Exit Plan Strategic Approach. World Health Organization, Government of Nepal Ministry of Health and Populations. Web site. https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/ en/operations/nepal/document/fmt-exit-plan. Accessed August 11, 2016.Google Scholar
27. Guest, G, Bunce, A, Johnson, L. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods. 2006;18(1):59-82.Google Scholar
28. Core Humanitarian Standards Alliance, Groupe Urgence-Rehabilitation-Development. The SPHERE Project. Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability. 2014.Google Scholar
29. Humanitarian Accountability Partnership. The 2010 HAP Standard in Accountability and Quality Management. Geneva, Switzerland: HAP; 2010.Google Scholar
30. Core Humanitarian Competencies Framework. Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies. 2012. Web site. http://www.alnap.org/resource/9479. Accessed September 5, 2016.Google Scholar
31. The SPHERE Project. Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. 3rd ed. Rugby, UK: Practical Action Publishing; 2011.Google Scholar
32. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief. Geneva, Switzerland: IFRC; 1994.Google Scholar
33. Norton, I, Schreeb von, J, Aitken, P, Herard, P, Lajolo, C. Classification and Minimum Standards for Foreign Medical Teams in Sudden Onset Disasters. Geneva, Switzerland: Health Cluster; 2013.Google Scholar
34. Inter-Agency Standing Committee Sub-Working Group on the Cluster Approach and the Global Cluster Coordinators’ Group. Reference Module for Cluster Coordination at Country Level. IASG: 2012.Google Scholar
35. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Oslo Guidelines on the Use of Foreign Military and Civil Defense Assets in Disaster Relief. Oslo, Norway: OCHA; 2007.Google Scholar
36. Richardson L, Price G. Allindiary, 5th ed. 2015. Web site. http://allindiary.org/. Accessed September 5, 2016.Google Scholar
37. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Earthquakes - Guidelines on Preparing, Responding, and Recovering. Geneva, Switzerland: International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent; 2012.Google Scholar
38. Dominelli, L. Disaster Interventions and Humanitarian Aid Guidelines, Toolkits, and Manual. Durham, UK; 2013.Google Scholar
39. Krin, CS, Giannou, C, Seppelt, IM, et al. Appropriate response to humanitarian crises. BMJ. 2010;340:c562.Google Scholar
40. Alfa-Wali, M, Sritharan, K. Central coordination of humanitarian aid in Nepal. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2015;5(4 Suppl 1):S73-S74.Google Scholar
41. Chackungal, S, Nickerson, JW, Knowlton, LM, et al. Best practice guidelines on surgical response in disasters and humanitarian emergencies: report of the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit Working Group on surgical issues within the humanitarian space. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(6):429-437.Google Scholar
42. Darcy, J. Locating responsibility: the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and its rationale. Disasters. 2004;28(2):112-123.Google Scholar
43. Fisher, D. Regulating the helping hand: improving legal preparedness for cross-border disaster medicine. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2010;25(3):208-212.Google Scholar
44. Foran, MP, Williams, AR. Global uptake of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership over its first ten years. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(4):413-416.Google Scholar
45. Hilhorst, D. Dead letter or living document? Ten years of the Code of Conduct for disaster relief. Disasters. 2005;29(4):351-369.Google Scholar
46. Hunt, MR. Establishing moral bearings: ethics and expatriate health care professionals in humanitarian work. Disasters. 2011;35(3):606-622.Google Scholar
47. Herard, P, Boillot, F. Quality orthopedic care in sudden-onset disasters: suggestions from Médecins Sans Frontières-France. Int Orthop. 2016;40(3):435-438.Google Scholar
48. Jafar, AJN, Norton, I, Lecky, F, Redmond, AD. A literature review of medical record keeping by foreign medical teams in sudden onset disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(2):216-222.Google Scholar
49. Lind, K, Gerdin, M, Wladis, A, Westman, L, Schreeb von, J. Time for order in chaos! A health system framework for foreign medical teams in earthquakes. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(1):90-93.Google Scholar
50. Borovecki, A, Einarsdóttir, J, O’Mathúna, D, Pospieszna, P, Stern, OM, Teles, NO. 20 years of the ICRC Code of Conduct for Disaster Relief: what do we need to improve? Lancet. 2015;385(9976):1391.Google Scholar
51. Dumont, L, Khanal, S, Thüring, D, Junod, J-D, Hagon, O. Anesthesia in the wake of the Nepal earthquake: experience and immediate lesson learnt. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2016;33(5):309-311.Google Scholar
52. Costa, M. Pre-deployment, travel health advice for humanitarian health workers: helping the helpers. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2014;12(5):543-544.Google Scholar
53. Burkle, FM, Nickerson, JW, Schreeb von, J, et al. Emergency surgery data and documentation reporting forms for sudden-onset humanitarian crises, natural disasters and the existing burden of surgical disease. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):577-582.Google Scholar
54. Cranmer, H, Aschkenasy, M, Wildes, R, et al. Academic institutions’ critical guidelines for health care workers who deploy to West Africa for the Ebola response and future crises. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2015;9(5):586-590.Google Scholar
55. Merin, O, Yitzhak, A, Bader, T. Medicine in a disaster area: lessons from the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(9):1437-1438.Google Scholar
56. Brinkmann, S, Kvale, S. InterViews. 3rd ed. London, UK: Sage Publications; 2015.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Dunin-Bell supplementary material

Dunin-Bell supplementary material 1

Download Dunin-Bell supplementary material(File)
File 16.9 KB
Supplementary material: File

Dunin-Bell supplementary material

Dunin-Bell supplementary material 2

Download Dunin-Bell supplementary material(File)
File 16.7 KB
Supplementary material: File

Dunin-Bell supplementary material

Dunin-Bell supplementary material 3

Download Dunin-Bell supplementary material(File)
File 26 KB