Modern societies are increasingly dependent on the proper functioning of critical infrastructures (CIs). CIs produce and distribute essential goods or services, as for power transmission systems, water treatment and distribution infrastructures, transportation systems, communication networks, nuclear power plants, and information technologies. Being resilient becomes a key property for CIs, which are constantly exposed to threats that can undermine safety, security, and business continuity. Nowadays, a variety of approaches exist in the context of CIs’ resilience research. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review on the approaches that have a complete qualitative dimension, or that can be used as entry points for semi-quantitative analyses. The study aims to uncover the usage of qualitative research methods through a systematic review based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The paper identifies four principal dimensions of resilience referred to CIs (i.e., techno-centric, organisational, community, and urban) and discusses the related qualitative methods. Besides many studies being focused on energy and transportation systems, the literature review allows to observe that interviews and questionnaires are most frequently used to gather qualitative data, besides a high percentage of mixed-method research. The article aims to provide a synthesis of literature on qualitative methods used for resilience research in the domain of CIs, detailing lessons learned from such approaches to shed lights on best practices and identify possible future research directions.

/pdf/reviewing-qualitative-research-approaches-in-the-context-of-2v6uldw16y.pdf

Reviewing qualitative research approaches in the context of critical infrastructure resilience

Although many studies have examined broad patterns of effects on pregnancy and infant outcomes after disasters, the causes of adverse outcomes are not always clear. Disasters cause interrelated exposure to environmental pollutants, psychological stressors, and lack of health care, and interacts with other social determinants of health. This topical review examines the short- and long-term effects of disasters on pregnancy and how they are mediated by social, behavioral, and environmental effects. In the short term, disasters are associated with physical trauma, adverse environmental exposures, and unstable housing. In the longer term, disasters may lead to relocation, changes in family functioning, and negative economic effects. These aspects of disaster exposure, in turn, lead to lack of access to health care, increased stress and negative mental health outcomes, and negative behavioral changes, including smoking and substance use, poor nutrition, physical overexertion and limited activity, and reduction in breastfeeding. All of these factors interact with social determinants of health to worsen effects on the most vulnerable women, infants, and communities. Few interventions after disasters have been tested. With the increase in disasters due to climate change and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the models of effects of disasters and their human health consequences need increasing refinement, and, more importantly, should be applied to interventions that improve disaster prevention, mitigation, and response.

Assessing the effects of disasters and their aftermath on pregnancy and infant outcomes: A conceptual model

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, agencies and organizations required trainings to support the needs of the public health workforce. To better understand the training resources available, this study identified, organized, and classified infection prevention and control (IPC) training and educational opportunities.Environmental scan.A total of 306 IPC training resources were compiled between January and April 2021. Key themes and topics were identified and compared to the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee's (HICPAC) core IPC practices.Three hundred and six training resources, including webinars, fact sheets, module-based learning activities, infographics, and professional practice guidance materials, were identified. Common themes included proper use of personal protective equipment (e.g., masks, gloves), community reopening guidance, and mass vaccination resources. A large proportion (74.9%) of trainings were under 60 min. Using the HICPAC framework, the most frequently addressed content included standard precautions (40%), leadership support (31.6%), and transmission-based precautions (25.8%). Few trainings addressed performance monitoring and feedback (17.1%).A wide range of organizations developed IPC-specific content during the pandemic. However, these resources did not address the breadth of knowledge required to implement IPC concepts effectively. The creation of universally applicable IPC core competencies and the development of high-quality IPC education and trainings for public health and the overall responder workforces should be prioritized. Accessible high-quality online and just-in-time trainings are critical for future pandemic and disaster preparedness. 

Public health infection prevention: An analysis of existing training during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research consistently suggests that student learning is maximized when faculty balance stringency and leniency in their classroom policies. However, the COVID-19 crisis raised an important question: In the face of a wide-scale crisis, should faculty instead adopt forgiving policies? This study uses interview data with 43 university faculty across the United States to examine policy adjustments made in response to COVID-19, as well as the impact faculty felt those adjustments had on course learning objectives. Results suggest that even amid a wide-scale crisis, balancing leniency and stringency offers benefits to both students and instructors. Implications for future crisis-response and crisis-preparedness are also discussed.

/pdf/adjusting-class-policies-amid-a-pandemic-how-lessons-learned-3mpkcfya.pdf

Adjusting Class Policies amid a Pandemic: How Lessons Learned During COVID-19 Can Help Faculty Prepare for Other Institution-Wide Crises

The aim of this thesis is to explore the roles of the universities in disaster management and to develop a framework for understanding of that role. It used a mixed-methods research approach, which combines both qualitative and quantitative research and data into a single study to achieve a more elaborate understanding. The developed framework may better understand and organise universities’ roles and assist universities to improve their preparedness and confidence, enhancing relationships between the university and the community it serves, engaging with experts and volunteers from the community, and contributing to the development of future policy and practice. 

The role of universities in disaster management

Objective: Assess levels of disaster preparedness in institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States. Design: An anonymous, 57-question survey targeted individuals responsible for emergency management at IHEs across the US descriptive statistics and bivariate chi-square analysis were reported. Using the established threshold score of the initial Cities Readiness Initiative from the CDC, an individual respondent’s composite score of 70 percent or higher across 23 specific questions within the 57-question survey was labeled as “prepared.” Results: Chi-square analysis identified variables associated with lower preparedness levels at IHEs not achieving the minimum 70 percent score. Having a campus law enforcement officer serve the additional role of emergency manager had a negative association with being prepared [ χ 2 (1) = 10.18, p < 0.001]. Having emergency management as a separate university function from campus law enforcement had a positive relationship with being prepared [ χ 2 (1) = 18.55, p < 0.001]. Staffing the emergency management function with a professional having less than 3 years of emergency management experience had a negative association with being prepared. Conclusions: Our results indicate that minimizing the mission of emergency management by simply tasking a campus law enforcement officer with the extra responsibility of emergency management or entertaining less professionally qualified personnel to lead emergency management’s complex mission can lead to disastrous results. Not only is preparedness impacted, but also resilience when facing disaster situations. Our nation continues to strive to become more resilient when facing such adverse events, as formally embraced and emphasized in the 2017 National Security Strategy. Research continues to offer best practices and unfortunately continues to highlight gaps. While the higher education community is not one of the 16 federal critical infrastructure sectors, identified gaps such as those presented in our findings as well as those published by the National Academies of Sciences are cause for alarm. Not only are higher education campuses generating invaluable contributions to society in general, bio-innovation, public health, and medicine, to name a few, they are a core stakeholder in resilience research and implementation. Yet, research continues to indicate preparedness and therefore resilience gaps in this sector. The authors propose implications for practice, policy, and research to assist IHEs in achieving a more comprehensive, sustainable level of resilience.

A quantitative assessment of institutions of higher education disaster preparedness and resilience.

Storms of this magnitude coupled with floodwater inundation reveal how complex the sources and types of chemical and elemental hazards can be, hazards that include pollutants mobilized from hazardous waste sites, oil spills, and formaldehyde off-gassing in temporary housing units 1 Adverse respiratory outcomes associated with both acute and chronic exposures to particulate matter, including biological and chemical hazards, were prevalent in Katrina disaster victims, first responders, and the workforce, including transient volunteers, who are typically involved in remediation, demolition, and cleanup of affected residential and industrial areas 2 Noise exposure and heat stress associated with heavy equipment use and physical labor during summer months in hurricane-prone regions are consistent sources of disaster-related injury Duration and frequency of exposures must be considered in addition to the levels or concentrations of the pollutants Because proper and accurate exposure assessments were and continue to be poorly documented before and after disasters, it remains a public health challenge to clearly associate exposures with particular chemicals or toxins with adverse health outcomes Excessive standing floodwaters, flooded swimming pools, and warmer temperatures after Katrina provided optimal conditions for mosquito larvae, including the vector of West Nile virus;cases of West Nile fever nearly doubled compared with previous years but have since stabilized to average ranges 4 The crowding of infected and susceptible hosts, interruptions of ongoing control programs, and a weakened public health infrastructure further increased risk factors for the transmission of vector-borne diseases Correspondence should be sent to Stephen A Murphy, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St, Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA 70112 (e-mail: smurphy1@ tulane edu)

The Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness Impacts of Hurricane Katrina

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A quantitative assessment of institutions of higher education disaster preparedness and resilience.

The Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness Impacts of Hurricane Katrina