Review article

EMERGENCY HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT IN DISASTER SITUATIONS

Iskra Alexandra Nola orcid.org/0000-0002-8268-210X ; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Medicinski fakultet, Škola narod. zdravlja "A. Štampar", Zagreb, Hrvatska
Jagoda Doko Jelinić ; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Medicinski fakultet, Škola narod. zdravlja "A. Štampar", Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

Disasters bring on great devastation to human kind in the form of life loss and on the social, material, cultural and other levels. The increased number of disaster warning factors has prompted the World Health Organization to pronounce the 1990s the decade for reducing the impacts of natural disasters. This decision started a series of studies on natural disasters focusing on prevention, response and rehabilitation in the context of public health emergency.

As a result, the vital role of health care workers has been recognized in disaster scenarios. Health care workers possess the knowledge and skills to alleviate the suffering and provide care, thus representing an important segment of action in disasters. However, without adequate training and formal education they cannot always act in a suitable manner. The health care management in disaster situations involves different action in each phase of disaster, as well as organization and organized management. The development of European and world system of early alarm in disaster situations, education of health care workers for acting in disasters, and adequate emergency health care management will contribute to the improvement of all forms of readiness for crisis situations and reduce life loss and other consequences as much as possible.

Keywords

health care management in disasters; public health emergency; health care workers

Hrčak ID:

83865

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/83865

Publication date:

3.7.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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