1. The Disaster Information Needs of Families of Children with Special Healthcare Needs: A Scoping Review
- Author
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Renee M. Turchi, Renee Davis, Thomas J. Hipper, Keri Lubell, Lisa Briseño, Laura E. Pechta, Dale A. Rose, Jessica L Franks, Esther Chernak, Philip M. Massey, and Amy Wolkin
- Subjects
Health (social science) ,Disaster risk reduction ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,Poison control ,Information needs ,Disaster Planning ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Disasters ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,030225 pediatrics ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Health care ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Child ,media_common ,education.field_of_study ,Schools ,business.industry ,Information Dissemination ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Disaster recovery ,Public relations ,Disabled Children ,Preparedness ,Emergency Medicine ,Psychological resilience ,business ,Psychology ,Safety Research - Abstract
Families with children who have access and mobility challenges, chronic illness, or intellectual or developmental disabilities require targeted messages before, during, and after disasters to ensure that they understand risks to their children's health and can take measures to avoid harm and build resilience. A scoping review was conducted to assess current evidence for optimal ways to address the disaster information needs and communication preferences of families with children and youth with special healthcare needs. The disaster information needs of such families remain understudied, with few published evidence-based practices. Much of the relevant research focuses on information content, specifically the preparedness needs of these families; disaster recovery information for them remains a major gap. The few studies that have been performed suggest that parents with children and youth with special healthcare needs require additional information, education, and training to develop an effective disaster preparedness plan for their children. They are also largely unaware of schools' disaster plans, and schools are often unable to meet parents' expectations for timely, accurate information during a disaster. Several guidance documents highlighted the importance of completing an emergency information form before an event. Several studies suggested that one-on-one education or counseling was a strategy for encouraging preparedness planning; others highlighted potential value in incorporating families directly into disaster risk reduction planning. Evidence about channel preferences and their effectiveness in this population was generally lacking. Future studies should expand the evidence basis for optimal communication during all disaster phases both with parents of children and youth with special healthcare needs and with children directly.
- Published
- 2018