Fire Response Education for Hospital Healthcare Providers: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Purpose: Fire response education is critical for healthcare providers working in hospitals to ensure a safe environment for patients and staff. However, a comprehensive review that thoroughly examines the contents, methodologies, and outcomes of fire response education in hospitals is currently lacking.Methods: We conducted a scoping review by adhering to the framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. We searched five electronic databases for literature published after 1990, using the key categories of "hospitals," "fires," and "education." As a result, we identified 15 relevant articles that met our inclusion criteria for the review.Results: Of the 15 articles, 12 had adopted a quasi-experimental design and the remaining 3 had employed a true experimental design. The majority of these studies (11 out of 15) were conducted in the United States, with 4 studies forming committees or teams dedicated to education. Simulation methods were used in 13 studies, while 2 studies had employed a combination of methods. All studies focused on first-response procedures based on RACE (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish/Evacuation). Outcome measures included the learners’ overall experience, performance in the educational settings, and performance in the field, with all studies reporting positive results following the educational interventions.Conclusion: Our review highlights the importance of multi-professional and multi-departmental educational strategies based on institutional-level initiatives for healthcare providers to create a safe hospital environment.