Module 7 Readings and Activities

1. Module 7: Introduction (Required Content) (1 of 4)

2. Current Page: Module 7: Readings and Activities (2 of 4)
3. Module 7: Additional Resources (3 of 4)
4. Module 7 Assignment: Population Health Proposal, Part 3 - Evaluation and
Cost-Benefit Analysis (4 of 4)

Disaster Preparation
A disaster is defined as “a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe,
that causes great damage or loss of life.” DisastersLinks to an external site. cause:
...serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope
using its own resources. Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and
technological hazards, as well as various factors that influence the exposure and
vulnerability of a community (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies [IFRC], 2021, introduction).
In the United States a public health emergency is determined by declaration of the
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). A public health
emergency declaration releases resources to address an actual or potential public
health crisis.
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may, under
section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, determine that: a) a disease or
disorder presents a public health emergency (PHE); or b) that a public health
emergency, including significant outbreaks of infectious disease or bioterrorist attacks,
otherwise exists (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response,
2019, introduction).
The National Disaster Medical SystemLinks to an external site. Federal Partners
Memorandum of Agreement defines a public health emergency as "an emergency need
for health care [medical] services to respond to a disaster, significant outbreak of an
infectious disease, bioterrorist attack or other significant or catastrophic event." In order
to activate the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), "a public health emergency
may include but is not limited to, public health emergencies declared by the Secretary of
HHSLinks to an external site. [Health and Human Services] under 42 U.S.C. 247d, or a
declaration of a major disaster or emergency under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance ActLinks to an external site. (Stafford Act), 42 U.S.C.
5121-5206) (Public health emergency [United States], 2021).
The response to a disaster depends on the type of disaster and its effects. The first and
immediate response to a disaster is called the emergency response. The aggregate
goals of all decisions and actions taken in and after a disaster are to contain or mitigate
the effects of the disaster to prevent any further loss of life and/or property, restore
order, and re-establish normality.
Disaster response is the second phase of the disaster management cycle. It consists of
a number of elements, for example; warning/evacuation, search and rescue, providing
immediate assistance, assessing damage, continuing assistance and the immediate
restoration or construction of infrastructure (i.e. provisional storm drains or diversion
dams). The aim of emergency response is to provide immediate assistance to maintain
life, improve health and support the morale of the affected population. Such assistance
may range from providing specific but limited aid, such as assisting refugees with
transport, temporary shelter, and food, to establishing semi-permanent settlement in
camps and other locations. It also may involve initial repairs to damaged or diversion to
infrastructure.
The focus in the response phase is on putting people safe, prevent next disasters and
meeting the basic needs of the people until more permanent and sustainable solutions
can be found. The main responsibility to address these needs and respond to a disaster
lies with the government or governments in whose territory the disaster has occurred. In
addition, humanitarian organizations are often strongly present in this phase of the
disaster management cycle, particularly in countries where the government lacks the
resources to respond adequately to the needs (“Disaster Response,” 2021).
Nurses have important roles in disaster response. Read a literature review of the role of
nurses in disaster management Challenges for Nurses in Disaster Management: A
Scoping ReviewLinks to an external site.
To reduce the impact of disasters, healthcare providers, especially nurses, need to be
prepared to respond immediately. However, nurses face several challenges in all
phases of disaster management. The findings of a literature review based on scoping
approaches, which utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, indicated that the
major barriers facing nurses include the following: (1) disaster nursing is a new
specialty; (2) inadequate level of preparedness; (3) poor formal education; (4) lack of
research; (5) ethical and legal issues; and (6) issues related to nurses’ roles in
disasters. Educators, researchers, and stakeholders need to make efforts to tackle
these issues and improve disaster nursing (Al Harthi et al., 2020, abstract).

Disasters and Health Disparities

Disaster epidemiologyLinks to an external site. is "the study of the effects of disasters
on human populations" (Songer, 2019). Disasters can overwhelm healthcare systems,
especially those that serve historically underserved populations. In a review of the
effects of disasters on medically underserved areas Davis et al. (2011) found that the
“poor and medically underserved, especially in rural areas, bear an inequitable amount
of the burden.
Review: The Impact of Disasters on Populations With Health and Health Care
DisparitiesLinks to an external site.
Disaster preparedness is not often a leading priority for most communities in the United
States.” “Given that chronic disease accounts for the greatest cause of morbidity in the
United States, especially in rural areas, it is imperative to address chronic disease
management in disaster response and identify ways to mitigate the health and health
care disparities associated with populations vulnerable to disaster (Davis et al., 2011,
“Conclusions” section).

Additional Resources

1. Module 7: Introduction (Required Content) (1 of 4)

2. Module 7: Readings and Activities (2 of 4)
3. Current Page: Module 7: Additional Resources (3 of 4)
4. Module 7 Assignment: Population Health Proposal, Part 3 - Evaluation and
Cost-Benefit Analysis (4 of 4)

Additional Resources
 FEMA Current Disasters and Disaster ResponsesLinks to an external site.
 Disaster Risk Management Links to an external site.
 National Response Framework Links to an external site.
 Emergency Management in the US Links to an external site.
 CDC Public Health Emergency Response Guide Links to an external site.

The CDC provides a guide for emergency preparedness and planning. Click the links to
learn how families, businesses, healthcare facilities, and government organizations can
prepare for disasters and different types of public health emergencies.

 Emergency Preparedness and PlanningLinks to an external site.

 Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response
(CASPER) Links to an external site.
 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent SocietiesLinks
to an external site. (IFRC) is a global humanitarian network and is guided by
seven Fundamental Principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality,
independence, voluntary service, universality and unity.
 Reaching At-Risk Populations in an EmergencyLinks to an external site.

Links to an external [Link] health emergencies can be dangerous and challenging,

especially for people with disabilities. Communicators may have trouble reaching them.
Caretakers may find it difficult to help them evacuate or get to a healthcare provider.
Their health may be more severely affected by the emergency. CDC’s Cindy Hinton and
the CDC EPIC Team discussed how community leaders, community members,
emergency response workers, and caretakers can plan to lessen the harm of
emergencies on people with disabilities (CDC, 2019).

 CDC Climate Effects on Health Links to an external site.

Refugee healthcare
Listen to Claire Jones describe how the ARMCare program in Australia advocates and
bridges the gap between refugees and the Australian healthcare system.

 Medical Approach to Refugees: Importance of the Caring Physician Links to

an external site.

Population Health Proposal: Part 3 -

Evaluation and Cost-Benefit Analysis
1. Current Assignment: Module 7 Assignment: Population Health Proposal,
Part 3 - Evaluation and Cost-Benefit Analysis (4 of 4)

Instructions
The final step with any population health issue is evaluating the intervention. What
evidence or data will you be able to evaluate to know if the intervention you selected
positively impacted the problem/issue?
In addition to the evaluation it is also essential to consider the costs involved relative to
the benefits of the intervention.
Identification of a population health problem typically arises from population data. The
data can be generated locally by a specific practice, health care system, public health
system, or through regional or state data aggregation, such as the County Health
Rankings. Once data exposes a health problem, interventions can be designed to
address it. If the intervention has an effect, that effect should be reflected in the post-
intervention population data. An evaluation of the intervention might involve a review of
the population data over time for trends indicating any change (or no change) in the
problem.

The Population Health Proposal - Part 3 assignment will be constructed in a

presentation format. All in-text and reference citations need to be formatted consistent
with 7th edition APA guidelines.

The presentation needs to be a minimum of 10 slides and include the following:

  Slide 1 - Title slide
 Slide 2 - A brief description of the significant health or health-related problem
you identified from review of the data (supported with references). This is the
same problem discussed in your Part 1 assignment.
 Slide 3 – an overview of the intervention that you selected to address the
problem (supported with references). This is the same intervention that you
discussed in your Part 2 assignment.
 Slide 4 - A brief overview of how outcomes of your selected intervention will
be evaluated.
 Slide 5 – An overview of the evaluation measure(s) you will utilize to
determine if your selected intervention was effective?
o Below are some examples of ways you may wish to approach or
describe how you would evaluate the intervention discussed in your
Part 2 paper:
 A process evaluation (e.g. how many patients are
participating in the intervention; example - how many got
their flu shots? or participated in the screening event?
etc.).
 An outcome evaluation (e.g. reporting on whether the
identified health problem/issue increased, decreased, or
stayed the same, etc.)
 A direct measure (e.g. the patients/community members
learned how to . . . [do what? participate in what? etc.] ).
 An indirect measure (e.g. after initiating the online portal,
fewer patients are using [other services]

 NOTE: advanced graduate level scholarship requires a well-articulated and

in-depth overview of the identified measure(s); consider utilizing the ‘Notes’
section of the slide if needed to provide additional details

NOTE: Be sure to support your selected evaluation measure(s) and approaches with
scholarly resources.

 Slides 6, 7, and 8 - Include a cost-benefit analysis for the intervention,

weighing potential costs associated with the intervention against potential
benefits derived by the patients/community members from engaging with the
intervention. Ensure the slide discussions include information about human
resources (slide 6), capital resources (slide 7), and material resources (slide
8). If the proposal does not encompass one of these 3 categories of
resources use the appropriate number slide to discuss why the resource is
not needed for your proposal.
 NOTE: advanced graduate level scholarship requires a well-articulated and
in-depth overview of the potential costs and benefits; consider utilizing the
‘Notes’ section of the slide if needed to provide additional details

NOTE: Be sure to support your discussion of resources with scholarly resources.

 Slide 9 – a summary of your thoughts about your population health proposal.
 Slide 10 (or more) – Reference citations list