Factors Influencing Hospitals' Disaster Preparedness in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Objective: The study aimed to identify the factors that influence the disaster preparedness of hospitals and validate an evaluation framework to assess hospital disaster preparedness (HDP) capability in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of all hospitals (n = 72) in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia was conducted. A factor analysis method was used to identify common factors and validate the evaluation framework to assess HDP capacity.

Results: Sixty-three (63) hospitals responded to the survey. A 3-factor structure was identified as key predicators of HDP capacity. The first factor was the most highly weighted factor, which included education and training (0.849), monitoring and assessing HDP (0.723), disaster planning (0.721), and command and control (0.713). The second factor included surge capacity (0.708), triage system (0.844), post-disaster recovery (0.809), and communication (0.678). The third factor represented safety and security (0.638) as well as logistics, equipment, and supplies (0.766).

Conclusion: The identified 3-factor structure provides an innovative approach to assist the operationalization of the concept of HDP capacity building and service improvement, as well as serve as a groundwork to further develop instrument for assessing HDP in future studies.