Psychological Burden Surveillance for Disaster Workers

Abstract

Problem: Approximately 30% of emergency first responders develop behavioral health conditions such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with 20% in the general population. Behavioral health services within the disaster response group are typically only offered when disasters and public health emergencies have a significant number of disaster workers deployed, leaving workers responding to smaller scale disasters potentially in need but without access. Purpose: This quality improvement project intervention applied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Policy Process to draft a policy to provide mental health surveillance for intermittently deployed disaster workers within a disaster response entity. Methods: Environmental scans were conducted by the Project Lead with expert mental-health stakeholders within a disaster response group using the CDC Policy Analysis: Key Questions to obtain information to inform possible policy. Information generated from the scans were analyzed and synthesized with published evidence to draft three policy options for consideration. The options were then prioritized using the CDC Policy Audit Tool and presented to agency leadership for advancement feasibility. A policy of best fit was presented by the Project Lead to higher-ranking agency leadership for an adoption decision. Results: Seven out of ten desired scans were completed to elicit data regarding the need for a mental health policy within the agency for first responders. Recurring themes include the importance of mental health and concern about being seen as unfit for duty. Those candidates that did not schedule scans were due to current deployments, maternity leave, or limited email access. Conclusions: The scans revealed support for a policy requiring the deployment of a mental health specialist on disaster teams. Results suggest that most stakeholders have a positive opinion for the creation of a new mental health policy within the disaster response entity. Keywords: mental health, policy analysis, disaster management