Knowledge, attitude and practice of disaster preparedness and mitigation among medical students

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the present level of knowledge about disaster preparedness and mitigation among undergraduate medical students. Rarely a week goes by when a major disaster is not reported in the media – a disaster that results in death and destruction. There is a general reluctance among the people to accept that tragedy can appear any time in the form of a disaster. Unfortunately, disasters are seen more in context of emergency responses than pre‐planning or preparedness measures. Continuous preparedness saves lives, lessens personal suffering and loss and reduces the destruction of property and economic losses. Emergency medical assistance is the most important and immediate post‐disaster need, second only to search and rescue operations. Hence, knowledge about disaster preparedness and mitigation is essential for medical students.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 375 undergraduate medical students who volunteered for participation were included in the study. A pre‐tested and pre‐designed, structured questionnaire was administered for assessing the current level of knowledge, attitude and practice about disaster preparedness and mitigation. The percentage marks were analyzed and compared for statistically significant difference.

Findings

The mean score was 8.77 percent, which was slightly higher in females and was maximum in age group 26‐30 years. There was little variation according to the year (professional) of the MBBS course.

Originality/value

The paper shows that undergraduate medical students have little knowledge about disasters and disaster preparedness.

Citation

Sinha, A., Pal, D.K., Kasar, P.K., Tiwari, R. and Sharma, A. (2008), "Knowledge, attitude and practice of disaster preparedness and mitigation among medical students", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 503-507. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560810901746