Investigating the Natural Disaster Preparedness of Hospital Pharmacists Across Four Hospitals in Australia

Introduction: In a climate where natural disasters are becoming progressively more frequent and severe, there is a greater need for healthcare resilience. Hospital pharmacists are important healthcare responders during disasters, but little is known about how prepared pharmacists are to fill roles in disasters or how prepared pharmacy departments are to support their response. The aim of this study was to determine the disaster preparedness of pharmacists and pharmacy departments in a Metropolitan Health Service in Australia and investigate any relationship between the two. Method: This research utilized two surveys to determine the individual preparedness of registered pharmacists within the eligible hospitals and the preparedness of pharmacy departments (this information was obtained through the Directors of Pharmacy). Results: In total, 68 individual pharmacists participated in the study. It was found that individuals were moderately prepared (preparedness score 19.98). Interventions, such as education, improved individual preparedness scores, though these had poor uptake, where only 17.4% (n=12/68) of participants had received disaster education or training. Individual preparedness was unaffected by facility preparedness and provision of comprehensive resources. The preparedness of hospital pharmacy departments was generally low, where two hospitals were rated as ‘somewhat prepared’, due to the presence of a mostly comprehensive plan and a moderate engagement in activities that contributed to preparedness. The third hospital was ‘poorly prepared’, as it did not have a disaster plan and had low engagement in preparedness activities. Conclusion: This study shows that a substantial improvement in pharmacy preparedness is required to achieve healthcare resilience and quality patient outcomes in disaster aftermath–further reinforcing the need for national and pharmacy-specific guidance, complemented by standardized preparedness interventions such as education and training. There is also a glaring disconnect between the preparedness of pharmacy facilities and their workforce, which demonstrates a culture of disaster preparedness.