TY  - JOUR
AB  - 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.
VL  - 17
IS  - 4
SN  - 0965-3562
DO  - 10.1108/09653560810901746
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560810901746
AU  - Sinha Abhinav
AU  - Pal D.K.
AU  - Kasar P.K.
AU  - Tiwari R.
AU  - Sharma A.
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Knowledge, attitude and practice of disaster preparedness and mitigation among medical students
T2  - Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 503
EP  - 507
Y2  - 2024/05/09
ER  -