Exploring pre‐hospital healthcare workers' readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats in the State of Qatar: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Hazardous Material—Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (HazMat‐CBRN) incidents, though infrequent, are environmentally precarious and perilous to living beings. They can be deliberate or accidental or follow the re‐emergence of highly contagious diseases. Successful management of such incidents in pre‐hospital settings requires having well‐trained and prepared healthcare workers. Aims: This study aimed to explore the reliability and validity of a satisfaction survey, answered by Specialized Emergency Management (SEM) personnel from a national Middle Eastern ambulance service, with a “Hazardous Material Incident Management” course offered to them as a continuing professional development activity and seek their opinion regarding Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service personnel needs for other HazMat‐CBRN related training topics. Method: In the cross‐sectional study, we conducted an online satisfaction survey for this group of course participants to obtain their feedback as subject matter experts. Aiken's content validity coefficient (CVC) was calculated to assess the content validity. Cronbach's α coefficient was determined to explore the survey's reliability. IBM®‐SPSS® version 26 was utilized to explore the data. Results: The SEM satisfaction survey demonstrated important satisfaction with the implemented training with its robust reliability and content validity (Cronbach's α = 0.922 and CVC = 0.952). The participants also recommended additional related topics. Conclusion: Sustaining and reinforcing the HazMat‐CBRN Incident Management course was strongly recommended, considering the increase of HazMat‐CBRN threats worldwide.