Türkiye Klinikleri Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, vol.9, no.4, pp.635-641, 2024 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare professionals regarding their knowledge, skills, and readiness for disaster management and to examine the effect of disaster awareness levels on their preparedness for disasters. Material and Methods: The research data were collected by conducting an online survey through Google Forms with healthcare professionals residing in a city centre. Participants (n=394) were selected using the random sampling method. To measure the disaster awareness levels of the participants, the Disaster Readiness Scale developed by Inal et al. was used, whereas the Disaster Readiness Scale developed by Şentuna and Çakı was used to measure disaster preparedness. The SPSS 25.0 program was used to analyze the data obtained. The Pearson correlation analysis was used to look at the relationship between the variables, whereas the simple regression analysis was used to observe the effect between variables. Results: As a result of the study, it was determined that there was a positive significant relationship between the disaster awareness levels of healthcare professionals and their disaster preparedness and its subdimensions. Additionally, it has been revealed that the level of disaster awareness has a positive and significant effect on disaster preparedness. It was found that the factors affecting the level of disaster awareness and disaster preparedness of healthcare professionals were profession, age, and gender. Conclusion: Study findings showed that disaster awareness levels had a significant impact on the disaster preparedness behaviors of healthcare professionals.