Documenting the Impact of Lifeline Service Disruptions on Healthcare System Performance Following Earthquakes Since 2000: A Reconnaissance Report Analysis

Abstract

Earthquakes impact millions of people worldwide, leading to an increased need for an effective and efficient healthcare response. Due to their heavy reliance on external lifeline services, hospitals are particularly vulnerable to decreased functionality post-earthquake when they are needed most. This research assesses if and how reconnaissance reporting has covered the impacts lifeline service disruptions have had on healthcare system performance for earthquakes magnitude 6.0 and greater since 2000. Utilizing content analysis methods, 104 publicly available post-earthquake reconnaissance reports covering 50 earthquake events were assessed for information on lifeline service impacts, overall functionality, and evacuations of area hospitals and healthcare systems. This research found that lifeline service disruptions can impact hospital and healthcare system functionality, and hospital and healthcare system evacuations occurred the majority of the time for included earthquake events. This research highlights the lack of consistent and high quality reporting of lifeline service disruptions to hospital and healthcare system performance post-earthquake. Due to this lack of reported information, a number of recommendations on critical research gaps around data quality and standardization to better prepare for healthcare impacts following future earthquake events are proposed.