The increasing frequency of disastrous incidents emphasizes on the need of an instant and efficient healthcare services. This study assesses the level of preparedness among nurses in Medina regarding the disaster management, with respect to their knowledge.
Cross-sectional study was conducted among five government hospitals in Medina. A total of 330 (94.3%) full-time nurses participated in this study. Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) was used to collect data. Data was then analyzed through descriptive statistics, Levene\'s test (an independent sample t-test), and One-way ANOVA.
Findings of the study indicated an average level of nurses\' preparedness for disaster management (M = 3.37, SD 1.03). The difference found for all the preparedness dimensions with respect to level of nursing education was not significant except for familiarity with ethical issues and triage (p = 0.028), and familiarity with accessing critical resources (p = 0.05). Finally, a statistically significant difference was found in the total mean score of disaster preparedness dimensions between nurses who received training in disaster management and those who did not receive training (p ≤ 0.001).
Based on the mean score from 10 factors the study concluded that majority of the nurses have an average level of preparedness for managing disaster situations. Therefore, providing proper education with respect to EPIQ dimensions to the nurses is thus suggested to increase their level of preparedness.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the readiness of a tertiary medical city\'s response to a disaster by assessing the hospital resources and knowledge, attitudes, practices, and familiarity of health care providers toward disaster and emergency preparedness.
All KFMC (King Fahad Medical City) staff with > 1 year of clinical experience were eligible to participate in a cross-sectional study. Participants responded to the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ), knowledge and practice questionnaires, and a disaster planning attitude checklist. Data about resources were collected using the hospital disaster preparedness self-assessment tool.
The overall mean knowledge score for disaster and emergency preparedness was 4.4 ± 1.1, and the mean overall familiarity score was 3.43 ± 0.97. Most participants knew that disaster drills (90.2%) and training (74.6%) are ongoing. Sixty-six (21.0%) agreed that KFMC is unlikely to experience a disaster. The highest and lowest EPIQ familiarity scores were for decontamination (83.0%) and accessing critical resources and reporting (64.3%), respectively. Most participants (99.4%) have access to work computers; however, only 53.0% used the Internet to access information on bioterrorism and/or emergency preparedness. The hospital is ready to respond in case of a disaster according to the used tool.
The participants\' levels of knowledge, practices, and overall familiarity toward emergency and disaster preparedness were satisfactory; however, participant attitudes and familiarity with where and how to access critical resources in the event of an emergency or disaster situations require reinforcement.

The Canadian Pediatric Surgery Network (CAPSNet) has been collecting population-based data regarding congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) across its 17 perinatal sites since 2005. With >500 infants registered to date, CAPSNet has addressed many critical knowledge gaps pertaining to CDH care. Most importantly, it has identified variability in both CDH practice and outcome across Canada. Using the successful Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) method, CAPSNet is undertaking a national, multidisciplinary effort to standardize best practices for CDH, from prenatal diagnosis to hospital discharge, based on the best available evidence. The present article outlines the value of clinical research networks and the process CAPSNet will undertake to produce national consensus guidelines for CDH care.
Le Réseau canadien de chirurgie pédiatrique recueille des données en population sur la hernie diaphragmatique congénitale (HDC) dans 17 sites périnatals depuis 2005. Puisque plus de 500 nourrissons y sont inscrits jusqu’à présent, le Réseau a corrigé de nombreuses lacunes liées aux soins de la HDC. Qui plus est, il a décelé la variabilité dans la pratique et les résultats de la HDC au Canada. Selon la méthode EPIC (un acronyme anglais qui signifie pratique fondée sur des données probantes pour améliorer la qualité), le Réseau déploie des efforts nationaux et multidisciplinaires pour normaliser les pratiques exemplaires en matière de soins de la HDC, du diagnostic prénatal au congé de l’hôpital, d’après les meilleures données probantes. Le présent article souligne la valeur des réseaux de recherche clinique et le processus que le Réseau entreprendra pour produire des lignes directrices consensuelles nationales sur les soins de la HDC.