A Study On Hospitals'Capacities Evaluation System In Public Health Emergency

BackgroundPublic health emergencies refer to the events that occur unexpectedly and can cause or potentially cause mass destruction to the public's health, including epidemics of public health importance, diseases outbreaks in the large population with unknown causes, large scope food poisoning and occupational poisoning , and other events that can severely affect public health. The prevention and control of public health emergencies need multi-sector's effort, and of all organizations that involving the public health emergencies preparedness, hospital is the key one that provides medical care and mental health services. Therefore, the capacity of the hospitals in public health emergency preparedness is directly related to the success or failure of the response to the whole public health emergency. The evalution of hospitals'emergency response capacity is the basis of the emergency capacity-building. However, the systematic and comprehensive evaluation indicator systems on the emergency response capacity in hospitals are realtively rare in the current reports in China.Objectives(1) To establish a indicator system framework for evaluation on the hospitals'capacity in the public health emergency preparedness.(2) To develop a comprehensive questionnaire that is suitable for the national conditions of China to survey hospitals'public health emergency preparedness.(3) To establish a set of assessment model to evaluate the hospitals'capacity in the public health emergency preparedness. (4) To evaluate the hospitals'capacity in public health emergency preparedness in Guangdong Province.MethodsA multiple approach with literature research, intensive interviewing, Delphi, and the pre-survey on-site was used to develop an indicator system to evaluate the hospitals'capacity in the public health emergency preparedness. Then a questionnaire was designed to survey the hospitals'comprehensive capacity which is on the basis of the design of the evaluation indicator system about the public health emergency preparedness. Then take Guangdong Province as the study site, and choose 115 hospitals for cross-sectional study in order to assess the reliability and validity of the evaluation indicator system about the capacity of the public health emergency preparedness in hospitals. Finally, the comprehensive evaluation system was used to assess 227 hospitals'capacity in the public health emergency preparedness which were from Guangdong Province, including undetermined, first, secondary, tertiarey hospitals.Results(1) An indicator system framework for evaluating hospitals'capacity in the public health emergency preparedness includes 7 domains and 17 secondary and 32 tertiarey indicators. Seven domains are emergency system, emergency agencies, surveillance and early warning, rescue and medical treatment at the scene, logistical support, emergency training and exercises, public awareness and education, and the evaluation indicator system has good reliability and validity.(2) The weighted linear comprehensive evaluation model for hospital emergency response capacity:(3) At present, the majority of hospitals in Guangdong Province had a certain ability to cope with public health emergencies, but there were differences between the three levels, and undetermined hospitals < the first hospitals < secondary hospitals < tertiarey hospitals on the whole. What's more, there were differences between three regions in the capacity of public health emergency preparedness, and the East-West wings Region < Northern Region < Pearl River Delta Region.Conclusions(1) An indicator system framework for evaluating hospitals'capacity in the public health emergency preparedness was reasonable and feasible.(2) Though the majority of hospitals in Guangdong Province had a certain ability to cope with public health emergencies, but there were several dimensions needs to be further strengthened, such as the logistics support, the emergency training and exercises.(3) There were differences between the three-class hospitals in the capacity of public health emergency preparedness, and undetermined hospitals < the first hospitals