‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world
Background: The Ebola epidemic in West Africa caused global fear and stirred up worldwide preparedness activities in countries sharing borders with those affected, and in geographically far-away countries such as Iceland. Objective: To describe and analyse Ebola preparedness activities within the Ic...
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ftcopenhagenunip:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/a9bf5d9a-ee55-4745-815d-6296185a887e 2023-12-17T10:32:02+01:00 ‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world Gunnlaugsson, Geir Hauksdóttir, Íris Eva Bygbjerg, Ib Christian Pinkowski Tersbøl, Britt 2019 application/pdf https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/tiny-iceland-preparing-for-ebola-in-a-globalized-world(a9bf5d9a-ee55-4745-815d-6296185a887e).html https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451 https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/218434287/_Tiny_Iceland_preparing_for_Ebola_in_a_globalized_world.pdf eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Gunnlaugsson , G , Hauksdóttir , Í E , Bygbjerg , I C & Pinkowski Tersbøl , B 2019 , ' ‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world ' , Global Health Action , vol. 12 , no. 1 , 1597451 . https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451 communicable diseases emergency responders emerging fear Global health prevention and control public policy qualitative evaluation article 2019 ftcopenhagenunip https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451 2023-11-23T00:05:07Z Background: The Ebola epidemic in West Africa caused global fear and stirred up worldwide preparedness activities in countries sharing borders with those affected, and in geographically far-away countries such as Iceland. Objective: To describe and analyse Ebola preparedness activities within the Icelandic healthcare system, and to explore the perspectives and experiences of managers and frontline health workers. Methods: A qualitative case study, based on semi-structured interviews with 21 staff members in the national Ebola Treatment Team, Emergency Room at Landspitali University Hospital, and managers of the response team. Results: Contextual factors such as culture and demography influenced preparedness, and contributed to the positive state of mind of participants, and ingenuity in using available resources for preparedness. While participants believed they were ready to take on the task of Ebola, they also had doubts about the chances of Ebola ever reaching Iceland. Yet, factors such as fear of Ebola and the perceived stigma associated with caring for a potentially infected Ebola patient, influenced the preparation process and resulted in plans for specific precautions by staff to secure the safety of their families. There were also concerns about the teamwork and lack of commitment by some during training. Being a ‘tiny’ nation was seen as both an asset and a weakness in the preparation process. Honest information sharing and scenario-based training contributed to increased confidence amongst participants in the response plans. Conclusions: Communication and training were important for preparedness of health staff in Iceland, in order to receive, admit, and treat a patient suspected of having Ebola, while doubts prevailed on staff capacity to properly do so. For optimal preparedness, likely scenarios for future global security health threats need to be repeatedly enacted, and areas plagued by poverty and fragile healthcare systems require global support. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland University of Copenhagen: Research Global Health Action 12 1 1597451 |
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Open Polar |
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University of Copenhagen: Research |
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ftcopenhagenunip |
language |
English |
topic |
communicable diseases emergency responders emerging fear Global health prevention and control public policy qualitative evaluation |
spellingShingle |
communicable diseases emergency responders emerging fear Global health prevention and control public policy qualitative evaluation Gunnlaugsson, Geir Hauksdóttir, Íris Eva Bygbjerg, Ib Christian Pinkowski Tersbøl, Britt ‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world |
topic_facet |
communicable diseases emergency responders emerging fear Global health prevention and control public policy qualitative evaluation |
description |
Background: The Ebola epidemic in West Africa caused global fear and stirred up worldwide preparedness activities in countries sharing borders with those affected, and in geographically far-away countries such as Iceland. Objective: To describe and analyse Ebola preparedness activities within the Icelandic healthcare system, and to explore the perspectives and experiences of managers and frontline health workers. Methods: A qualitative case study, based on semi-structured interviews with 21 staff members in the national Ebola Treatment Team, Emergency Room at Landspitali University Hospital, and managers of the response team. Results: Contextual factors such as culture and demography influenced preparedness, and contributed to the positive state of mind of participants, and ingenuity in using available resources for preparedness. While participants believed they were ready to take on the task of Ebola, they also had doubts about the chances of Ebola ever reaching Iceland. Yet, factors such as fear of Ebola and the perceived stigma associated with caring for a potentially infected Ebola patient, influenced the preparation process and resulted in plans for specific precautions by staff to secure the safety of their families. There were also concerns about the teamwork and lack of commitment by some during training. Being a ‘tiny’ nation was seen as both an asset and a weakness in the preparation process. Honest information sharing and scenario-based training contributed to increased confidence amongst participants in the response plans. Conclusions: Communication and training were important for preparedness of health staff in Iceland, in order to receive, admit, and treat a patient suspected of having Ebola, while doubts prevailed on staff capacity to properly do so. For optimal preparedness, likely scenarios for future global security health threats need to be repeatedly enacted, and areas plagued by poverty and fragile healthcare systems require global support. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gunnlaugsson, Geir Hauksdóttir, Íris Eva Bygbjerg, Ib Christian Pinkowski Tersbøl, Britt |
author_facet |
Gunnlaugsson, Geir Hauksdóttir, Íris Eva Bygbjerg, Ib Christian Pinkowski Tersbøl, Britt |
author_sort |
Gunnlaugsson, Geir |
title |
‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world |
title_short |
‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world |
title_full |
‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world |
title_fullStr |
‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world |
title_full_unstemmed |
‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world |
title_sort |
‘tiny iceland’ preparing for ebola in a globalized world |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/tiny-iceland-preparing-for-ebola-in-a-globalized-world(a9bf5d9a-ee55-4745-815d-6296185a887e).html https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451 https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/218434287/_Tiny_Iceland_preparing_for_Ebola_in_a_globalized_world.pdf |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Gunnlaugsson , G , Hauksdóttir , Í E , Bygbjerg , I C & Pinkowski Tersbøl , B 2019 , ' ‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world ' , Global Health Action , vol. 12 , no. 1 , 1597451 . https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1597451 |
container_title |
Global Health Action |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
1597451 |
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