The Challenges Experienced by Emergency Medical Services Workers in a Massive Disaster Due to Resource Scarcity—the Case of the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, cilt.20, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 20
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1017/dmp.2025.10293
- Dergi Adı: Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Massive Disaster, Emergency Medical Services Workers, Resource Scarcity Problem, Kahramanmara & scedil; Earthquake
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objective The study aims to explain the challenges experienced by Emergency Medical Services workers in a massive disaster due to resource scarcity. Methods In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 Emergency Medical Services workers in the region within the first 72 hours of the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. Participants were determined by snowball sampling method, and data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. Collected data were evaluated using descriptive and content analysis methods. Results When the data were analyzed, the difficulties experienced by the participants were covered in two main themes and eight sub-themes. The main themes were physical and managerial challenges, and the sub-themes were nutrition, shelter and adverse weather conditions, hygiene, safety, sleep shortage and exhaustion, operational, logistics and transportation, communication and coordination. Conclusion The findings suggest that challenges in meeting the basic physical needs of Emergency Medical Services workers during massive disasters may reduce the overall effectiveness of response efforts. Ensuring their physical safety, particularly in large-scale earthquakes that cause severe structural damage, emerges as a persistent concern. Disaster preparedness efforts should more carefully consider the fragility and vulnerability of high-risk zones when developing national response plans.