Damian Sendler Health care workers’ preparedness is essential to a successful response to an emergency situation. For this study, the primary goal was an overview of relevant studies on the willingness to work in emergency and disaster situations, a description and classification of the most important challenges and solutions, identification of knowledge gaps in the literature which could inform future research.
Damian Jacob Sendler The inclusion criteria were met by 26 articles out of 2902 that were found during the search. Aims, study design, and reporting details were all different in the studies. Nearly three-quarters of the studies were conducted in high- and middle-income countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the studies were published in 2020. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases were the most commonly reported types of crises in the studies that were included. The majority of the issues were related to mental and psychological issues, health concerns for employees, and the management-employee relationship.
Dr. Sendler One of the most important factors affecting system efficiency is human resource allocation, which plays a significant role in healthcare systems. Because of this, it is a critical component of the hospital’s overall infrastructure. Disruption of hospital operations is inevitable in the absence of adequately trained and qualified staff [1]. Patient care will suffer if human resources are under-utilized and under-motivated, which will lead to lower levels of efficiency and motivation. Because determining a hospital’s human resource requirements is a common issue, human resource management should play an important role in healthcare system planning [2].
According to popular academic usage, “emergency situations” have a wide range of definitions. Change from the usual to the unusual is generally dangerous and can lead to an emergency [3, 4]. Unpredictable causes of crises are extremely rare [5]. A disaster occurs when a natural or man-made emergency exceeds the society’s or system’s ability and capacity. There will be an impact on every facet of human life, from death to physical injuries to damage to assets and infrastructures to social and economic costs, if a disaster occurs.
Throughout history, disasters have posed a constant threat to human life. It’s been found that the number of disasters is steadily rising; for example, in 2019, there were 409 worldwide disasters. As a result of each disaster, the healthcare system is impacted both directly and indirectly. It will be up to government and crisis committees at healthcare facilities to decide where patients will be treated and who will provide services if the crisis continues[6].
Continuity of care for a large number of patients requires meticulous planning on the part of healthcare officials and policymakers across the country during an emergency. Planned responses to emergencies and disasters should focus on increasing the motivation of workers and encouraging them to provide high-quality services. Health care workers’ time and workloads can be kept under control with the help of these parts of the system. Patients and coworkers who die in the line of duty put health care workers at risk of infection, exhaustion, separation from their loved ones, and other forms of mental and emotional stress.
The following are the main factors that influence the absence of personnel during a disaster: a) the willingness of the staff to accept the risk of their duties. In addition, their willingness to demonstrate their skills at work. During pandemics and terrorist incidents like CBRN [chemical, biological, radiological] or a nuclear holocaust, hospitals and public health centers report substantial absences of staff [4, 6]. Also, some studies have shown that absenteeism and job satisfaction decrease significantly following natural disasters [7].
According to some studies, employees’ willingness to work can be boosted by a well-thought-out plan that supports patients, their families, and the substructures of hospitals. Increasing the hospital’s capacity prior to an emergency is one of the basic measures of service delivery systems. Providing adequate space, equipment, and human resources is essential. Increased capacity and human resources in healthcare systems are needed to deal with these challenges [9, 10].
In hospital disasters and emergencies, a lack of personnel has not been sufficiently discussed [11]. Because of the high rate of nurse absenteeism (20%), researchers believe that implementing plans to safeguard patients, employees’ families, and hospital infrastructure can increase employee motivation to work [12].
Iran’s hospitals are plagued by a lack of and inefficient use of human resources, according to a number of studies. When disaster strikes and time is of the essence, these issues take on a new urgency. There needs to be more research into the importance of human resources in hospitals, given their critical role in the quality and quantity of services provided.
The management of human resources during emergencies and disasters should also be considered in emergency planning, according to studies. Having a better understanding of the factors that influence the ability and willingness to care in the aftermath of a disaster is critical for health care administrators and policymakers. This study’s goal is to find ways to increase the willingness of healthcare workers to show up for work in the event of an emergency or disaster and to cut down on their absence.
Out of 26 studies, 24 were conducted in nine countries (the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, the Commonwealth of Guinea and the Republic of Sierra Leone, along with New Zealand and Singapore), while only two studies involved researchers from more than one country. Eleven studies were conducted in the United States, making it the country with the most findings. More studies were conducted in countries with a high level of income and stable economies than those with less developed economies.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler According to the findings of the study, interventions and strategies for retaining health professionals differ depending on the country’s level of income, such as in the United States, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, which are considered high-income countries. China, a country with an upper and middle-income status, relies heavily on the psychological support of its health workers to keep them going. As the Ebola epidemic has shown in low-income countries like Africa, particularly New Guinea and Sierra Leone, health systems and policies are a major source of concern. However, reforms focused on human resource management could significantly improve the long-term viability of the healthcare industry.
Due to the study’s global scope and expert advice, it was decided to use the World Health Organization’s 6BB classification system after extracting data from studies on both barriers and solutions (Six building blocks). To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the WHO framework serves as a powerful tool for strengthening the health system. Most of the findings from the study were incorporated into this framework, which includes providing service; human resources; information; medical products/vaccines and technology; finance and leadership; and leadership. This goal can be achieved by providing appropriate services in a safe and effective manner, along with qualified health interventions at the required time and location, with the least amount of resource waste for the individual, the community, and those in need.
Damian Sendler
As a general rule, 114 of the original code were found to be barriers and challenges to manpower retention in the study of barriers and challenges. The number of codes was reduced to 24 in the next step by eliminating duplicate codes and merging similar and homogeneous items. Six main categories (24 subcategories) were grouped into by the researchers based on a 6bb framework. In terms of challenge recurrence, poor leadership communication and emotional support, as well as worries about family, were the most common causes, while a lack of funding for training, salaries, and other forms of compensation were the least common.
The research team identified 133 primary codes from the articles included in the study relating to solutions and interventions for the maintenance of manpower in emergencies and disasters. The number of codes was reduced to 27 after duplicates were removed and homogeneous items were merged. The extracted items were divided into six main categories (27 subcategories) based on the framework’s six building blocks after the researchers classified the codes. Seven subcategories of management, mainly positive communication with staff and outside the organization; the least repetition in the financial class, which includes support programs and resource development for hiring and retention.
Damien Sendler There are many challenges that medical staff face in times of emergency and disaster, and this study uses a systematic mapping review method to investigate these issues. A total of 26 articles from 11 different countries were included in this investigation. There have been 11 articles published in this field in the United States in the last few years, which is more than any other country. In addition, the most pressing issues and crises in these countries have been those related to diseases.
Damian Jacob Sendler
Poor relationships between managers and employees, family concerns, job security after returning to work, fatigue and stress among staff members, moral dilemmas and patient care concomitant with fear were some of the most significant challenges that countries identified. There were also solutions based on studies, including good communication between managers and workers, the implementation of maintenance regulations and health instructions as well as updates to those instructions, the development of the organization’s morale as well as the public’s support of and appreciation for it; the use of volunteers and localization; enhancing the sense of responsibility; providing medicine; increasing the capacity of the hospital
Human resources disaster research is largely confined to wealthy and semi-wealthy countries, according to the findings of this study. Low-income countries must conduct additional research into this topic due to the prevalence of epidemics like Ebola and the severe consequences of a lack of medical personnel. As a result of their high incidence of natural disasters, countries like the United States and Japan place greater emphasis on disaster preparedness that includes having adequate human resources readily available. Financial difficulties and the possibility of contracting infectious diseases are two additional factors that limit the availability of human resources in low-income countries [17, 19, 24, 31]. In addition, the study’s findings show that the approaches taken by high- and low-income countries to disaster preparedness differ due to different priorities. As an example, in high-income countries, the first priority is to ensure the physical and mental well-being of emergency responders, whereas in low-income countries, the focus is on raising funds [14, 18, 32].
Disasters, epidemics, and pandemics, according to this study, lead to a shortage of workers in the short term. Compared to natural and man-made disasters, the shortage of workforce has occurred more frequently during the outbreak of new and recurring diseases in the last 20 years. Because of the repeated nature of these crises and the associated health, family, and society concerns that accompany them, it may be possible to link it to this phenomenon These worries will lead to an increase in absenteeism among employees. Rather, the challenges faced by workers during natural and man-made disasters are the safety of their families and the safety of the path between their homes and workplaces. In order to benefit from the presence of dedicated and experienced personnel during a disaster, health systems must consider and solve these challenges in advance [15, 16, 20, 32–34]. Even more importantly, countries can prepare themselves by enacting mandatory laws and regulations regarding their healthcare systems. A joint committee has been established in the United States to evaluate the state of healthcare facilities and to increase the capacity of hospitals in case of a natural disaster.
According to the findings of this study, a majority of the research has been conducted in hospital environments, which indicates that hospitals are the primary centers and front lines in dealing with disasters. In order to support them, officials need to give them the resources and equipment they need. Hospitals must increase their preparedness in order to reduce their risks. The World Health Organization’s Hospital Safety Index can also be helpful, as it assesses hospitals’ preparedness based on structural, non-structural, and practical criteria. Building and developing smart hospitals with the help of technology can also reduce waste and staff shortages, which can be beneficial to the healthcare systems of countries.
As a result, it is difficult to maintain human resources if managers are not aware of employees’ emotional needs and have a poor relationship with them, according to the findings of this study. Mental exhaustion from family separation can put employees in a quandary and cause them to miss work [22, 37, 38]. An effective solution in such circumstances is to hire sufficient human resources and to adjust their shifts in a way that prevents staff burnout due to long hours and time away from home. These measures ensure that the necessary personnel are always available.