Title:

Interventions to Mitigate the Reduced Ability and Willingness to Work of Health Care Workers During a Pandemic Influenza Public Health Emergency

Author(s):

Garrett, Andrew L.
Gill, Kimberly

Date:

2007

Type:

Reports

Department:

National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Permanent URL:

http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:14775

Publisher:

National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Publisher Location:

New York

Abstract:

Several widely publicized articles were released in the past two years which suggest that health care and public health employees may be unable or unwilling to report to work during a public health emergency involving contagion or contamination such as pandemic influenza, SARS, smallpox, or a terrorist attack using disease or radiation: A 2006 study of public health department workers, only 54% of those surveyed indicated that they would "likely report to work" during a pandemic influenza outbreak. In 2005 a national survey of pre-hospital care workers indicated that only 65% of EMTs were willing to report for duty during a smallpox outbreak. Also in 2005, only 48% of health care workers in the greater New York City area reported that they were "willing to work" during a widespread outbreak of SARS-like illness. Although a recurrence of pandemic influenza is inevitable, it was not until recently that there has been a very public acknowledgement of the impact it will potentially place upon society in terms of the delivery of medical care.

Subject(s):

Public health
Epidemiology

Item views:

101

Metadata:

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