Emergency Health Care Workers' Preparedness and Willingness to Respond to a Dirty Bomb-related Disaster in Pakistan.
| Publication Type | Academic Article |
| Authors | Afzal B, Chhipa U, Asad N, Kang B, Barnett D, Mehmood A, Motwani S, Dars J, Razzak J |
| Journal | Disaster Med Public Health Prep |
| Volume | 19 |
| Pagination | e282 |
| Date Published | 09/29/2025 |
| ISSN | 1938-744X |
| Keywords | Health Personnel, Civil Defense, Bombs |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVE: Our study examined the association between willingness-to-respond (WTR) and behavioral factors, demographics, and work-related characteristics among emergency department healthcare workers (HCWs) toward a radiological dispersal device (RDD) ("dirty bomb") blast scenario in Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in August to September 2022 among emergency department HCWs from 2 hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Nonprobability purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between WTR and key attitudes/beliefs, including perceived norms, preparedness, and safety, as well as the EPPM variables. RESULTS: Among behavioral factors, perceived likelihood that colleagues will report to work duty, perceived importance of one's role, and psychological preparedness showed particularly significant associations with WTR; 53.6% of participants indicated low perceived threat, while 46.43% showed high perceived threat, toward an RDD disaster scenario. CONCLUSION: Our findings point to the need to improve WTR toward an RDD event by shifting behavioral factors among HCWs through efficacy-focused training; enhancing WTR through such training strategies is imperative beyond mere delivery of information. Changing norms around response, along with institutional support, may further boost WTR during RDD emergencies. |
| DOI | 10.1017/dmp.2025.10208 |
| PubMed ID | 41020399 |