Disaster Preparedness in Urban Pediatric Hospitals: A Study of Healthcare Workers' Attitudes Toward Emergency Evacuation

ABSTRACT Hospitals, as complex and critical infrastructures, are highly vulnerable to both natural and man‐made disasters, making effective evacuation strategies essential to ensure continuity of healthcare services and patient safety. This descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted with 320 healthcare workers employed at a large pediatric hospital in Turkey to evaluate attitudes toward emergency hospital evacuation and identify factors influencing preparedness. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed through literature review and expert consultation. The mean overall attitude score toward emergency hospital evacuation was 230.25 ± 33.18 out of 295, indicating generally positive perceptions of evacuation protocols. However, knowledge and skill levels varied significantly according to prior disaster training and real‐life disaster exposure. Healthcare workers with 6–10 years of professional experience and those who had received evacuation training demonstrated higher scores in general attitudes, event‐ specific response strategies and individual emergency preparedness. Participants who had showed greater preparedness. Despite these positive findings, notable deficiencies were identified in the systematic use of control checklists and the classification of critical hospital functions. These results highlight the need for regular scenario‐based training, improved operational planning and stronger interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance hospital evacuation readiness. By identifying modifiable factors such as training and disasters experience, this study provides empirical evidence to support the strengthening of hospital resilience and to inform disaster management policies at both national and international levels.