Assessing health care provider knowledge and preparedness for disaster management in Syria
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN17909044 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17909044 |
- Submission date
- 10/09/2025
- Registration date
- 10/09/2025
- Last edited
- 10/09/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Syria has faced many major disasters in recent years, including earthquakes, bombings, and disease outbreaks. Doctors, nurses, and medical students are on the front line when these events happen, but it is unclear how prepared they feel to respond. This study aims to find out what medical students and young doctors in Syria know about disaster response and how ready they are to handle such emergencies. The results will help create better training programs to improve care during future disasters.
Who can participate?
Medical students in their 4th, 5th, or 6th (final) year of university in Syria.
Resident doctors and other healthcare professionals, like nurses, general practitioners, and hospital staff.
What does the study involve?
Participants will be asked to complete a confidential questionnaire. The questions will ask about their background, their knowledge of dealing with disasters, how prepared they and their hospitals are, and what kind of training they think would be most helpful. Filling out the questionnaire should take about 10-15 minutes. No treatments or tests are involved.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There is no direct benefit to participants. However, their answers will help improve training for future healthcare workers, which could benefit the wider community in Syria. There are no anticipated physical risks. The questions are not expected to cause distress, but if thinking about disasters is upsetting, participants can skip questions or stop the survey at any time.
Where is the study run from?
University of Aleppo, Syria.
When is the study starting, and how long is it expected to run for?
July 2025 to August 2025
Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded. The protocol does not specify a funding source.
Who is the main contact?
Mohammad Al-jawad, mhammadjawad877@gmail.com
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
New Aleppo
Aleppo
963
Syria
 ORCID ID |
0009-0002-7633-3541 |
|---|---|
| Phone | + 963 0946148173 |
| mhammadjawad877@gmail.com |
Study information
| Study design | Multicentric observational cross-sectional study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | Hospital, University/medical school/dental school |
| Study type | Screening |
| Scientific title | Disaster management knowledge and preparedness among healthcare providers in Syria: a cross-sectional study |
| Study objectives | Primary: • To assess the level of knowledge and preparedness among medical students and hospital residents in Syria regarding disaster response, including earthquakes, aerial bombings, and mass health emergencies. Secondary: • To identify gaps in disaster management education and training among medical personnel, and to provide recommendations for enhancing disaster preparedness among healthcare professionals in Syria. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 13/07/2025, Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Faculty of Medicine, University of Aleppo (-, Aleppo, +963212229184, Syria; +963212670400; inter-rel@alepuniv.edu.sy), ref: 2513 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Disaster management among healthcare providers |
| Intervention | This study will employ a cross-sectional observational design to assess the knowledge and preparedness for disaster response among medical students and hospital residents in Syria. The research will be conducted over a two-month period across various medical colleges and hospitals in Syria. A structured questionnaire will be administered to a calculated sample size of 1,074 participants. The study population will include medical students in their clinical years (4th, 5th, and 6th years) and hospital residents, alongside other healthcare professionals such as general practitioners, nurses, and administrative staff. Preclinical medical students, non-medical personnel, retired healthcare professionals, and those who do not provide informed consent will be excluded. The questionnaire is divided into four sections: (1) Demographic Information, (2) Knowledge of Disaster Management, (3) Preparedness and Disaster Response, and (4) Evaluation of Training Programs and Needs. Data will be collected on variables including prior training experience, self-rated knowledge, familiarity with specific emergency scenarios, and perceived institutional preparedness. For data analysis, descriptive statistics (percentages, means, and standard deviations) will be used to summarize demographic data and calculate the prevalence of prior training and knowledge. Common gaps will be identified through frequency analysis of responses. A comparative analysis using chi-square tests will assess significant differences in preparedness levels across different academic and professional levels (e.g., 4th-year students vs. 5th-year students vs. residents). Correlation analysis will be conducted to examine the relationship between prior training experience and perceived preparedness. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Variable Level of knowledge and preparedness for disaster response measured using a structured, study-specific questionnaire at a single assessment point during the 1-month data collection period. |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Prevalence of prior disaster management training measured using the demographics section (Item 6) of the study-specific questionnaire at a single assessment point during the 2-month data collection period 2. Most frequently reported gaps in knowledge and preparedness measured using a frequency analysis of responses from Sections 2 and 3 of the study-specific questionnaire at a single assessment point during the 2-month data collection period 3. Comparative preparedness levels across academic and professional levels measured using a comparative analysis (e.g., Chi-square tests) of responses from Sections 2 and 3 of the study-specific questionnaire at a single assessment point during the 2-month data collection period 4. Correlation between training experience and perceived preparedness measured using a correlation analysis of responses from the demographics section (Item 6) and Sections 2 and 3 of the study-specific questionnaire at a single assessment point during the 2-month data collection period 5. Perceived importance of and preferred methods for disaster training measured using Section 4 of the study-specific questionnaire at a single assessment point during the 2-month data collection period |
| Overall study start date | 13/07/2025 |
| Completion date | 10/08/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Health professional, Learner/student, Resident |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 21 Years |
| Upper age limit | 60 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 500 |
| Total final enrolment | 877 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Medical students enrolled in recognized universities in Syria 2. Resident doctor and other health care professional 3. Only students in clinical years (4th, 5th, and 6th years) |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Preclinical medical students (1st, 2nd, and 3rd years) 2. Non-medical students or individuals not affiliated with medical institutions 3. Retired healthcare professionals or those not currently practising 4. Individuals who do not provide informed consent to participate in the study |
| Date of first enrolment | 17/07/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 10/08/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Syria
Study participating centre
aleppo
963
Syria
Sponsor information
University/education
Mouhafaza district of Aleppo
Aleppo
963
Syria
| Phone | +963212670400 |
|---|---|
| inter-rel@alepuniv.edu.sy | |
| Website | https://www.alepuniv.edu.sy |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/03mzvxz96 |
Funders
Funder type
Other
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 15/09/2025 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Mohammad Al-jawad, mhammadjawad877@gmail.com |
Editorial Notes
10/09/2025: Study's existence confirmed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Aleppo, Syria.
