Examining the components and validity of hospital disaster preparedness tools

There are numerous gaps in hospital-disaster-preparedness in developing countries. Presently, there are no widely accepted tools to assess preparedness in Sri Lankan hospitals. As a first step towards developing a comprehensive tool for local hospitals, a thorough understanding of the existing tools is required. The purpose of this study was to examine the content and the validity and reliability of the tools used for hospital preparedness studies worldwide. A systematic review was conducted on three databases. The chosen study instruments were compared to the WHO's Hospital Emergency Response Checklist to identify the common components. The validity and reliability of those study instruments were also analysed. Out of the 53 selected studies, 26 did not reported either validity or the reliability. The majority of the tools had prioritized human resources and logistics management. Face validation was the frequently used validation method, and internal consistency was the frequently used reliability measure. However, the most hospital preparedness assessments had been conducted without using a reliable instrument. Crucial preparedness aspects were also neglected in majority of the tools. Different methods for assuring the validity and reliability were discovered. Findings of this study will guide future efforts in formulating a comprehensive hospital readiness tool.