Disaster Response Self-Efficacy of Medical Students and Related Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the self-efficacy of 4th-6th grade medical students in disaster response and to investigate the related factors. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The sample of the study consisted of 209 4th-6th grade medical students studying at a medical faculty in the 2022-2023 academic year. Data were collected by applying a questionnaire to 4th-6th grade medical students between April-June 2023. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale (DRSES). Results: : A total of 209 medical students participated in this study. The mean age of the participants was 23.4 +/- 1.3 years, and 56.4% were women. Of the participants, 84.5% had no previous training in disaster preparedness and 92.8% required training in disaster preparedness. The DRSES scores were higher among senior medical students (p=0.001), those who had previously received disaster response training (p=0.005), those who had previously participated in a disaster drill (p=0.017), those who felt prepared for possible disasters (p<0.001), those who had information about the disaster risks of the region where they lived (p=0.003), and those who knew the disaster assembly areas of the hospital (p=0.023). The DRSES score did not differ according to the sex of the participants. Conclusion: The The majority of participants needed disaster preparedness training. Self-efficacy in disaster response was higher among those who had previously received disaster response training and among final-year medical students.