Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39313809›Full record

ArticleBMC emergency medicine2024

Valued technical and non-technical skills among disaster responders: a cross sectional study of disaster responders involved in the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria January 2023.

Anja Westman, Lisa Kurland, Karin Hugelius

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Anja WestmanFaculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. anja.westman@oru.se.
Lisa KurlandFaculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Karin HugeliusFaculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDisaster responders are an important part of disaster response. However, despite large efforts to train disaster responders, there is a limited scientific knowledge regarding which competences and skills such responders value and lack during a real mission. The aim of this study was to investigate used and needed skills among disaster responders responding to the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria 2023

methodsA cross-sectional study using a non-randomized sample was conducted, collected between March and July, 2023. The participants were recruited through invitations distributed to international organizations, and the data were gathered through a web-based survey. The data were analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics.

resultsA total of 525 participants involved in the disaster response in Türkiye or Syria in February 2023 were included. The most common valued skills were teamwork skills (n = 252, 59%), technical knowledge (n = 204, 48%), leadership skills (n = 105, 24%) and communication skills (n = 114, 17%). Women valued stress management (n = 33, 26%) more than leadership (n = 24, 19%) Technical knowledges were more valued among first-time responders (n = 168, 82%) compared to experienced responders (n = 108, 54%, p-value < 0.001). The most reported lacked skills were mental preparedness (n = 237, 53%), knowledge of the management system of international response (n = 132, 30%), stress management (n = 105, 24%) and leadership (n = 102, 23%).

conclusionThe results showed slightly different needs in the various phases of a response, as well as some differences between men and women. Improving mental preparedness was not one of the most highly valued skills, but it was one of the skills that was most lacking; this discrepancy is an interesting finding. More in-depth analysis and additional studies are needed to further understand how best to prepare disaster responders and how their training can include the desirable skills. Further studies should be focused on the experience and knowledge of qualified disaster responders. This knowledge could also be of use when recruiting since several of the non-technical skills are not only gained solely through specific training.

Indexed as

EarthquakesEmergency RespondersAdultCommunicationCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLeadershipMaleMiddle AgedProfessional CompetenceSurveys and QuestionnairesSyria

Identifiers

PMID39313809
PMCPMC11421104

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.