Perceptions of the utility and acceptability of an emergency child minding service for health staff

Lawlor, Jenine, Franklin, Richard C., Aitken, Peter, Hooke, Bethany, Furyk, Jeremy, and Johnson, Andrew (2014) Perceptions of the utility and acceptability of an emergency child minding service for health staff. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 8 (6). pp. 485-488.

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View at Publisher Website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2014.118
 
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Abstract

objective: Tropical Cyclone Yasi in North Queensland activated the disaster management plans at The Townsville Hospital, including the establishment of an emergency child minding service to facilitate the return of staff to work.

Methods: This report describes the establishment of this service and the results of brief electronic surveys that were distributed in the 2 weeks following the cyclone to gather feedback from staff who had placed their children in the care of the service (consumers), staff who had manned the service (staff), and allied health managers whose staff had manned the service (managers).

Results: Overall, approximately 94 episodes of care were provided by the child minding service. All consumers responded "'yes'" in answer to the question of whether the emergency child minding service facilitated their return to work in the immediate post-disaster period. The survey also identified that a lack of effective advertising may have prevented further uptake of the child minding service.

Conclusions: The provision of an emergency child minding service facilitated the return to work of health care staff immediately after Tropical Cyclone Yasi. More research is needed to understand the effect disaster type has on the uptake of a child minding service.

Item ID: 37374
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1938-744X
Keywords: disaster planning, cyclonic storms, emergency responders
Date Deposited: 17 Feb 2015 23:35
FoR Codes: 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111709 Health Care Administration @ 100%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920299 Health and Support Services not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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