Primary health care in disaster situations: Systematic review

Abstract

Objective. To identify evidence from the literature regarding interventions related to preparedness and response of primary health care (PHC) teams in situations of natural disaster. Method. Systematic review of the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Lilacs, Disasters, and Google Scholar. Quantitative case-control, cohort, or cross-sectional studies reporting interventions in the context of PHC on populations exposed to natural disaster were selected. Results. Six studies were analyzed, performed in the Philippines, Vietnam, United States, Chile, and India. The preparedness interventions identified in the studies included the design of nursing preparedness and community education protocols; community vulnerability risk assessment; and identification of PHC services for implementation of disaster management plans. The response interventions described referred to trauma care, prevention of health problems, and participation in training. Conclusions. The evidence identified in the literature suggest that preparedness interventions are inadequate, and that the PHC response capacity is poor in situations of natural disaster.