Problems Encountered by Volunteers Assisting the Relief Efforts in Van, Turkey and the Surrounding Earthquake Area

Ocak, Tarık; Duran, Arif; Özdeş, Taşkın; Hocagil, Cuneyt; Küçükbayrak, Abdulkadir

doi:10.5152/jaem.2013.029

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…The response phase is most frantic in disaster management and can lead to rescue/relief workers experiencing common to lifethreatening physical injuries. 15 The physical injuries and associated conditions stated in the interviews by the industry experts were consistent with that found in the literature, [16][17][18] most of which related to immediate risk. 19,20 The mental health issues encountered, mostly relating to fear, anger, and stress, are also echoed in the literature.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Health Risks and Challenges in Earthquake Responders in Nepal: A Qualitative Research

FitzGerald

Chhetri

2019

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction:While the impact of disasters is strongly felt by those directly affected, they also have significant impact on the mental and physical health of rescue/relief workers and volunteers during the response phase of disaster management.Method:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 experts in the field of disaster management from Nepal, inquiring specifically about the impact of the 2015 mega-earthquake on the mental and physical health of rescue/relief workers and volunteers. A thematic approach was used to analyze the results. These were used to assess the applicability of a previously developed conceptual framework which illustrates the hazards and risk factors affecting disaster response workers and the related hazard mitigation approaches.Results:The findings suggested a relationship between the type of injuries to responders and the type of disaster, type of responder, and vulnerability of location. The conceptual framework derived from literature was verified for its applicability with a slight revision on analysis of experts’ opinion based on particular context and disaster setting. Technical skills of responders, social stigma, governance, and the socio-economic status of the affected nation were identified as critical influencing factors to heath injuries and could be minimized utilizing some specific or collective measures targeted at the aforementioned variables. Some geographic and weather-specific risks may be challenging to overcome.Conclusion:To prevent or minimize the hazards for disaster relief workers, it is vital to understand the variables that contribute to injuries. Risk minimization strategies should address these critical factors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Health Risks and Challenges in Earthquake Responders in Nepal: A Qualitative Research

FitzGerald

Chhetri

2019

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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“…Physical Injuries-Among the stages of the disaster response, the rescue phase is most critical and frantic and poses risks of minor to life-threatening physical injuries to responders. 7 The most common physical injuries reported during this phase are related to immediate risks, 8 and included cuts, wounds, falls, strains, sprains, stings, and bites, 9 as well as nausea, cough, sinusitis, fever, headache, abrasions, and lacerations. 10 Some cases of fractures resulting in death were reported as a result of activities involving demolition and debris removal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ocak, et al found that relief personnel in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake in Van, Turkey who learned about their task after arrival or had previously described roles altered were potentially susceptible to injuries and physiological distress. 8 Allowing responders time to prepare and ready themselves is crucial for them to learn of possible risks and develop emotional resilience. 27,38 Several studies investigated the effect of long working hours for prolonged periods found this was significantly associated with mental stress in clean-up workers, 11 defense personnel, 20 and medical professionals and health care volunteers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Risks in Disaster Responders: A Conceptual Framework

Khatri

FitzGerald

Chhetri

2019

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction:Disasters cause severe disruption to socio-economic, infrastructural, and environmental aspects of community and nation. While the impact of disasters is strongly felt by those directly affected, they also have significant impacts on the mental and physical health of relief/recovery workers and volunteers. Variations in the nature and scale of disasters necessitate different approaches to risk management and hazard reduction during the response and recovery phases.Method:Published articles (2010-2017) on the quantitative and quantitative relationship between disasters and the physical and mental health of relief/recovery workers and volunteers were systematically collected and reviewed. A total of 162 relevant studies were identified. Physical injuries and mental health impacts were categorized into immediate, short-term, and chronic conditions. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to explore the health risks and injuries encountered by disaster relief workers and volunteers, and to identify the factors contributing to these and relating mitigation strategies.Results:There were relatively few studies into this issue. However, the majority of the scrutinized articles highlighted the dependence of nature and scope of injuries with the disaster type and the types of responders, while the living and working environment and socio-economic standing also had significant influence on health outcomes.Conclusion:A conceptual framework derived from the literature review clearly illustrated several critical elements that directly or indirectly cause damage to physical and mental health of disaster responders. Pre-disaster and post-disaster risk mitigation approaches may be employed to reduce the vulnerability of both volunteers and workers while understanding the identified stressors and their relationships.Khatri KC J, Fitzgerald G, Poudyal Chhetri MB. Health risks in disaster responders: a conceptual framework. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(2):209–216

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“…The most important social characteristic is prompt response. In disasters, it is necessary to return the normal situation as soon as possible, so speed in relief and health services is very important [27]. Slow response and negligence in the relief and health services may endanger the lives of the people.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection Criteria of Hospital Volunteers for the Provision of Health Services in Disasters

Jannat

Ardalan

Malekpour

et al. 2017

HDQ

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Background: Hospitals need volunteers to help the injured people during disasters. Thus, it is necessary to prepare some criteria for selecting volunteers. The purpose of this study was to determine and prioritize individual and social criteria for selection of local volunteers in hospitals before disasters, the volunteers who provide health services for victims in disasters. Materials and Methods:This was an analytical descriptive study in which a researchermade questionnaire was used to collect the data in 2015. The statistical population consisted of emergency and health managers and experts in hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The sample were selected using Cochrane methodology and calculated as 180 subjects. The data were analyzed through calculating mean, standard deviation, 1-sample t-test, and Friedman test using SPSS.Results: Based on the results, most personal and social criteria were significant (P≤0.05) and important in volunteers' selection. The results showed that the most important personal criteria were physical ability and fitness, practical expertise, and voluntary attendance experience with the mean ranks of 4.03, 3.94, and 3.77, respectively. Also among social criteria, prompt response with the mean rank of 7.26, responsibility with 6.25, and conscience with 6.06 have been determined as important factors in the selection of volunteers for health services of hospitals in disasters.Conclusion: Hospitals could select volunteers based on the determined criteria. Personal criteria of physical fitness and practical expertise along with social criteria of prompt response and responsibility were reliable norms that based on them, the best volunteers could be chosen to perform health duties and decrease injuries in relief and health services.

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Problems Encountered by Volunteers Assisting the Relief Efforts in Van, Turkey and the Surrounding Earthquake Area

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

Health Risks and Challenges in Earthquake Responders in Nepal: A Qualitative Research

Health Risks and Challenges in Earthquake Responders in Nepal: A Qualitative Research

Health Risks in Disaster Responders: A Conceptual Framework

Selection Criteria of Hospital Volunteers for the Provision of Health Services in Disasters

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