Investigation of crisis and disaster preparedness among Jordanian healthcare providers: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess Jordanian healthcare providers' preparedness for crises and disasters.

Methods: A descriptive design was utilized, recruiting a convenience sample of 282 healthcare providers from five governmental hospitals. Data were collected using the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ).

Results: The results indicate that Jordan's healthcare providers have a moderate crisis and disaster preparedness level. The average total score was 136.51, SD ± 31.26, with scores ranging from 47 to 205. The score at the 50th percentile for healthcare providers' crisis and disaster preparedness was 135. The highest score was for the ethical issues in the triage dimension, while the lowest score was for the participant's overall familiarity dimension. There was no relationship between the level of crisis and disaster preparedness and the healthcare providers demographic characteristics age, gender, years of experience, hospital experience, monthly income, and education level. The crises and disaster preparedness scores were significantly different across the various job specializations.

Conclusions: The findings indicated that the level of preparedness among health providers was moderate, and they perceived themselves to be familiar with crisis and disaster preparedness. Significant differences were found based on job specialization, with high preparedness levels among midwives and doctors, while the lowest was found among pharmacists and technicians. However, training in the competencies specified in the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) may enhance preparedness for crises and disasters, along with proactive planning and scenario-based drills and exercises.