Emergency health care workers’ willingness to work during major emergencies and disasters

Current national and international emergency preparedness plans require emergency health care workers to play an integral role in responding to, and managing major emergencies and disasters. To understand whether emergency health care workers would be willing to work during these events, this study reviewed the international literature to identify studies that had addressed this topic. Research conducted in the United States, Canada, Asia, and Israel, all came to the same conclusion: the assumption that all emergency health care workers will be willing to work during a major emergency or disaster is not realistic. The impact of this should be considered in emergency preparedness and planning.