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Disaster Preparedness Perceptions of Healthcare Workers in a Hospital setting; A Qualitative Descriptive Study in Balakot, Northern Pakistan

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Thesis under embargo until 18th July 2028(4.24 MB)

Date

2025

Authors

Supervisor

Holloway, Ailsa
Holroyd, Eleanor

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Master of Public Health

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

Disaster preparedness among healthcare workers (HCWs) is crucial for effective response and recovery in disaster-prone regions. Pakistan, particularly Northern Pakistan, has experienced severe disasters, including the 2005 Balakot-Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 floods, which severely impacted the healthcare infrastructure, and health workforce response capacity. Despite the increasing frequency of disasters, HCWs’ preparedness perceptions in hospital settings, remain underexplored in low resource contexts, such as Pakistan. Existing research highlights gaps in training, workforce shortages, and inadequate disaster management plans, all hindering effective healthcare response. This study addressed a critical knowledge gap by exploring HHCWs' perceptions of disaster preparedness, focusing on their beliefs and understanding of the risk profile in Northern Pakistan, a seismically active yet under-researched region. It also examined how past experiences and socio-cultural factors shaped their preparedness perceptions. The findings will contribute to strengthening disaster preparedness strategies, and enhancing healthcare resilience in similar settings. This study adopted a qualitative, descriptive methodology with its associated interpretivist paradigm, and used semi-structured interviews as the data-gathering method. Face-to-face interviews took place in September 2023 with 17 Healthcare Workers (M= 12, F= 5) in two tertiary care hospitals in Tehsil Balakot and its surroundings in Mansehra district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province in Northern Pakistan. Thematic analysis and coding of the interview transcripts using Nvivo 14 computer software enabled the identification of five themes related to HCWs' disaster preparedness perceptions in a hospital setting: 1) Disaster understanding and perceptions, 2) Learning from past disaster experience, 3) Professional dedication, 4) Cultural perspectives, and 5) Disaster preparedness. Research findings indicated that while the HHCWs recognised the region's seismic and flood risks, their beliefs about disaster causation were diverse. They also highlighted that past disaster experiences have shaped their adaptive skills and willingness to take on new and evolving roles during crises. However, participants perceived that their hospital disaster preparedness remained inconsistent, with gaps in emergency planning, resource allocation, and formal training programmes. Novel findings revealed the strong influence of socio-cultural dynamics, including gender norms, religious beliefs, economic constraints, and community support on this cohort of HHCW perceived disaster preparedness. The study results have potential implications for both HCWs and healthcare institutions in enhancing disaster preparedness and response. Recognising the critical role of engaging the entire health workforce in disaster situations, the study underscores the need to integrate disaster and emergency training into the curricula of medical, nursing, and allied health personnel. These insights can contribute to the development of more robust preparedness strategies and greater healthcare system resilience, particularly in comparable contexts. Moreover, the results highlight the need for culturally responsive training initiatives that address the socio-cultural factors shaping healthcare workers' perceptions and readiness.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19564

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Masters Theses