Construction of an evaluation index system for public health emergency preparedness in tertiary general hospitals

  Objective  To construct an evaluation index system for public health emergency preparedness in tertiary general hospitals in China.

  Methods  Based on a literature review, theoretical analysis, expert panel meetings, and the Delphi method, the analytic hierarchy process was used to construct the evaluation index system for emergency preparedness capacity.

  Results  The response rates of the two rounds of questionnaires were 100%, the authority degree of experts was 0.879, and the Kendall coordination coefficients were 0.172 and 0.621 (P < 0.001), respectively. Finally, seven first-level indicators, 20 second-level indicators, and 74 third-level indicators were formed. The first-level indicators and their weights were: command and management (weight 0.209), emergency information communication (weight 0.123), emergency safety (weight 0.092), pre-check and triage (weight 0.209), emergency response (weight 0.034), emergency human resources (weight 0.123), and emergency equipment and materials (weight 0.209).

  Conclusions  The evaluation index system for public health emergency preparedness capacity in tertiary general hospitals constructed in this study has good scientific and practical applicability. It can provide a basis for investigating, standardizing, and improving the public health emergency preparedness capacity in tertiary general hospitals, and it can also provide a basis for improving the index system of public health emergency capacity in hospitals.