Knowledge and awareness concerning chemical and biological terrorism: continuing education implications

Abstract

Background: A survey on knowledge and awareness concerning chemical and biological terrorism was used to assess the knowledge base of health care providers at an urban medical center in preparation for developing a workshop on domestic terrorism preparedness. A second survey assessing domestic terrorism preparedness of infection control personnel and nurse educators also was conducted.

Method: A total of 291 nurses, physicians, nursing students, and medical students completed the knowledge and awareness survey. A total of 24 infection control personnel and nurse educators completed the second survey on domestic terrorism preparedness.

Findings: The knowledge scores of the respondents were low, with less than one fourth of the knowledge questions answered correctly. In addition, less than 23% of the respondents reported confidence to provide health care in a hypothetical chemical terrorism situation.

Conclusion: These findings indicate a need for nurses in continuing education and staff development to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative domestic terrorism preparedness programs.