Healthcare public health in disasters and emergencies

Abstract

Public health and health systems must prepare a plan for the emergencies and disasters that will inevitably occur sooner or later. Such plans are needed at global, national, and local levels. A basic framework for emergency preparedness will include a cycle of plan–prepare–respond–recover–report. Planning includes consideration of all events that may occur, prioritized by severity and likelihood. Preparation includes consideration of staff, supplies, structures, and systems—including decision and communication systems. For mass casualty incidents, public health will likely have a lesser role in the response phase; but for pandemics, public health expertise is crucial. A prolonged recovery phase must be expected, even for acute incidents such as earthquakes and terrorism. Post-disaster incident reports allow learning to be shared; such reports also feed back into a revised plan. Mental healthcare and service abroad require specific attention. The concept of ‘everyday resilience’ can help systems to cope.