Economic evaluation approaches are needed to establish useful interventions for saving lives, preventing economic damage, and saving recovery costs at the time of disasters. Thus, the present study is aimed to identify the studies that applied economic evaluation approaches/methods for evaluating the economic costs of disasters.

A scoping review was conducted to find the eligible studies and perform a comprehensive data analysis.

Based on the findings, cost-effectiveness analysis, economic loss assessment, modeling, or mapping, as well as behavioral economic analysis were used as the economic evaluation approaches/methods.

Applying economic evaluation approaches to illustrate the economic costs of disasters is highly recommended. Managing competing priorities and optimizing resources allocations to the most cost-effective interventions can be achieved by cost-effectiveness analysis. The results of economic loss assessment can be used as the basis of disaster preparedness and response planning. Economic modeling can be applied to compare different interventions and anticipate socio-economic effects of disasters. A behavioral economic approach can be effective for decision-making in the field of disaster health management. Further research is needed to identify the advantages and limitations of each economic evaluation method/approach in the field of health in disasters. Such research can preferably be designed as the systematic review and meta-analysis.

Disasters may have major impacts to mental health and to the utilization of mental health services (MHS). Moreover, these effects may be worsened by the preclusion of access to basic services following the event. The aim of this study is to evaluate the utilization of public MHS by the population that suffered water supply interruption following the Mariana Dam Failure in Brazil, 2015.

We conducted an Interrupted Time Series analyzing secondary health data from the municipalities that faced water supply interruption, comparing it to data from the other municipalities of Minas Gerais state.

We found a higher immediate (RR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.25–2.53) and gradual (RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.03–1.06) change in the rate of mental health visits (MHV) in the affected population following the event, whereas there was an immediate fall (RR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.29–0.59) followed by a higher gradual increase (RR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02–1.06) in the rate of hospital admissions (HA) in the affected population.

The results suggest that there was an increase in the utilization of public MHS by the population that suffered water supply interruption following the disaster.

The objective of this work was to study mortality increase in Spain during the first and second academic semesters of 2020, coinciding with the first 2 waves of the Covid-19 pandemic; by sex, age, and education.

An observational study was carried out, using linked populations and deaths’ data from 2017 to 2020. The mortality rates from all causes and leading causes other than Covid-19 during each semester of 2020, compared to the 2017–2019 averages for the same semester, was also estimated. Mortality rate ratios (MRR) and differences were used for comparison.

All-cause mortality rates increased in 2020 compared to pre-covid, except among working-age, (25–64 years) highly-educated women. Such increases were larger in lower-educated people between the working age range, in both 2020 semesters, but not at other ages. In the elderly, the MMR in the first semester in women and men were respectively, 1.14, and 1.25 among lower-educated people, and 1.28 and 1.23 among highly-educated people. In the second semester, the MMR were 1.12 in both sexes among lower-educated people and 1.13 in women and 1.16 in men among highly-educated people.

Lower-educated people within working age and highly-educated people at older ages showed the greatest increase in all-cause mortality in 2020, compared to the pre-pandemic period.

The study aimed to determine the level of knowledge and perceptions of preparedness for disasters among nurses working in a tertiary university hospital.

The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of nurses working in a university hospital in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey (n = 340). The sample included 183 nurses who were determined using the OpenEpi program and the universal sampling method. The data were collected using the Sociodemographic Information Form and the Disaster Preparedness Perception Scale in Nurses (DPPSN) and analyzed using SPSS 22 software.

The mean age of the participants was 34.31 + 8.52 years; 83.1% were female, 66.1% had at least a bachelor’s degree and worked in a surgical ward, 49.7% had been working for at least 11 years, and 58.5% had received training on disasters. Those who received disaster-related training received it mostly face to face (70.1%) from their institutions (91.6%) and in the form of 2–4 hours of training (75.7%); 52.5% had previously participated in a disaster-related drill, and 83.1% took on the role of caregiver during a disaster. The DPPSN mean score of the nurses involved in the study was found to be 3.53 ± 0.58 out of 5 points for the total scale.

The results of the study showed that nurses considered themselves partially adequate for disaster preparedness, in general.

After-action reports analyze events and improve knowledge about how to prevent and react to unexpected situations. Anyway, there is no consensus among the templates developed for disaster events reporting, and there is not a specific model for reporting hospital disaster response.

The study was aimed to pilot the use of a new assessment tool for hospital response to natural disasters.

A data collection tool, focused on hospital disaster response to natural disasters, was created modifying the “Utstein-Style Template for Uniform Data Reporting of Acute Medical Response in Disasters” and tested the reaction of the nearest hospitals to the epicenter after the August 24, 2016, Central Italy earthquake.

Four hospitals were included. The completion rate of the tool was 97.10%. A total of 613 patients accessed the 4 emergency departments, most of them in Rieti Hospital (178; 29.04%). Three hundred thirty-six (54.81%) patients were classified as earthquake-related, most with trauma injuries (260; 77.38%).

This template seemed to be a valid instrument for hospital disaster management reporting and could be used for better comprehension of hospital disaster reaction, debriefing activities, and hospital disaster plan revisions.

The 2017 solar eclipse was associated with mass gatherings in many of the 14 states along the path of totality. The Kentucky Department for Public Health implemented an enhanced syndromic surveillance system to detect increases in emergency department (ED) visits and other health care needs near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where the point of greatest eclipse occurred.

EDs flagged visits of patients who participated in eclipse events from August 17–22. Data from 14 area emergency medical services and 26 first-aid stations were also monitored to detect health-related events occurring during the eclipse period.

Forty-four potential eclipse event-related visits were identified, primarily injuries, gastrointestinal illness, and heat-related illness. First-aid stations and emergency medical services commonly attended to patients with pain and heat-related illness.

Kentucky’s experience during the eclipse demonstrated the value of patient visit flagging to describe the disease burden during a mass gathering and to investigate epidemiological links between cases. A close collaboration between public health authorities within and across jurisdictions, health information exchanges, hospitals, and other first-response care providers will optimize health surveillance activities before, during, and after mass gatherings.

Civil–military relationships are necessary in humanitarian emergencies but, if poorly managed, may be detrimental to the efforts of humanitarian organizations. Awareness of guidelines and understanding of risks relating to the relationship among deployed military personnel have not been evaluated.

Fifty-five military and 12 humanitarian healthcare workers in South Sudan completed questionnaires covering experience, training and role, agreement with statements about the deployment, and free text comments.

Both cohorts were equally aware of current guidance. Eight themes defined the relationship. There was disagreement about the benefit to the South Sudanese people of the military deployment, and whether military service was compatible with beneficial health impacts. Two key obstacles to the relationship and 3 areas the relationship could be developed were identified.

This study shows that United Kingdom military personnel are effectively trained and understand the constraints on the civil–military relationship. Seven themes in common between the groups describe the relationship. Current guidance could be adapted to allow a different relationship for healthcare workers.