Citation

Birnbaum ML, Daily EK, O'Rourke AP. Prehosp. Disaster Med. 2015; 30(6): 648-656.

Affiliation

3Assistant Professor,Division of General Surgery,Department of Surgery,School of Medicine and Public Health,University of Wisconsin,Madison,Wisconsin USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S1049023X1500535X

PMID

26555764

Abstract

Studies of the health aspect of disasters focus either on the epidemiology of disasters to define the causes and the progression from a hazard to a disaster, or the evaluations of interventions provided during any phase of a disaster. Epidemiological disaster research studies are undertaken for the purposes of: (1) understanding the mechanisms by which hazards evolve into a disaster; (2) determining ways to mitigate the risk(s) that a specific hazard will progress into a disaster; (3) predicting the likely damages and needs of the population-at-risk for an event; and (4) identifying potential measures to increase the resilience of a community to future events. Epidemiological disaster research utilizes the Conceptual, Temporal, and Societal Frameworks to define what occurs when a hazard manifests as an event that causes a disaster. The findings from such studies should suggest interventions that could augment the absorbing, buffering, or/and response capacities to lessen the probability of similar damages occurring from the next event. Ultimately, the use of these Frameworks in studying the health aspects of a disaster will help define what to expect in a specific setting and the standards and best practices upon which education, training, competencies, performance, and professionalization will be built. Birnbaum ML , Daily EK , O'Rourke AP. Research and evaluations of the health aspects of disasters, part V: epidemiological disaster research. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015; 30(6): 1-9.

Language: en