Assessing the Disaster Preparedness and START Triage Knowledge Levels of Intern Doctors After the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the disaster preparedness levels and START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) triage knowledge of intern doctors at Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine following the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on February 6, 2023.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study included 246 intern doctors. Participants completed an online study form that includes questions on demographic data, earthquake experience, disaster preparedness, psychological impact, and START triage knowledge. Open-ended questions were subjected to qualitative content analysis.Results: It was found that 85.8% of the participants were in an apartment building during the earthquake, and 61.8% were psychologically affected. Only 15% of the participants had a disaster/emergency bag, and 22% felt prepared for a future disaster. A success rate of 35% was found in the START triage questions. Those who were successful were found to have a higher rate of knowing disaster assembly areas. The analysis of open-ended questions revealed five main themes: "the necessity of taking a role," "the need for training and competence," "volunteering," "auxiliary role," and "opposing views".Conclusion: Despite having experienced an earthquake and showing willingness to take part in disaster relief efforts, intern doctors do not feel sufficiently prepared for disasters. This situation suggests that disaster medicine education should be supported by not only theoretical but also practical and simulation-based approaches. The curriculum should be restructured and addressed with an interdisciplinary approach.