Knowledge, Attitude and Practice

of Pangasinan Provincial Hospital Administrative

Staff on Disaster

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Development Management
Major in Public Management

Submitted To:
Nova E. Arquillano
Submitted By:
Agnes C. Grandia

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 CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM
Rationale
Many events or occurrences are happening today in this modern world.
Some people would attest all of these for they have had experienced them in the
past. Some of today’s occurrences may be classified inevitable, some are
preventable, some are expected and some are still phenomena. Inevitable
circumstances may happen anytime and these are quite big worries among all
humans, which may lead to disastrous struggles in their life or their functions in
their communities.
Disaster is defined by International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (2019), is a “sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts
the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and
economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s
ability to cope using its own resources; though often caused by nature, disasters
can have human origins.
Disaster preparedness is described as the measures taken to prepare for
and reduce the effects of disasters. It is also a way of predicting and preventing
possible disasters to mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations and respond
effectively to cope with the consequences. It also provides a platform to design
effective, realistic and coordinated planning and it reduces duplication of efforts.
The activities on disaster preparedness are embedded with risk reduction
measures which can prevent disaster situations and also result in saving
maximum lives and livelihoods during any disaster situation, enabling the

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affected population to get back to normalcy within a short time period [CITATION
Int20 \l 13321 ].

Disaster preparedness is also a continuous and integrated process

resulting from a wide range of risk reduction activities and resources rather than
from a distinct sectoral activity by itself. It requires the contributions of many
different areas—ranging from training and logistics, to health care, recovery,
livelihood to institutional development [ CITATION Int20 \l 13321 ].
The World Health Organization (WHO, 2020) page presented that the
range of threats to public health faced by countries worldwide is broad and
highly diverse, and includes infectious disease outbreaks, unsafe food and water,
chemical and radiation contamination, natural and technological hazards, wars
and other societal conflicts, and the health consequences of climate change.
Along with these, all countries are encouraged to strengthen their capacities for
health emergency and disaster risk management moreover, incorporating
measures for prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
According to the technical guidelines and reports presented by the World
Health Organization, Public Health England and Partners (2017), about a need
for health emergency and disaster risk management, in 2015, there were 346
reported disasters linked to natural hazards and there is an estimated 22,500
deaths, where 100 million affected and over $66 billion economic damages were
caused. Sadly, these data refer to large-scale disasters; there are many more
smaller-scale hazardous events, emergencies and disasters that affect
communities, their health and livelihoods. Using an all hazards approach, which
includes natural, biological, technological and societal hazards, the health of
populations are put at risk. Examples of hazards include are a) natural:
earthquake, landslide, tsunami, cyclones, extreme temperatures, floods or
droughts; b) biological: disease outbreaks including human, animal and plant
epidemics and pandemics; c) technological: chemical and radiological agent

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release, explosions, transport and infrastructure failures; and d) societal: conflict,
stampedes, acts of terrorism, migration and humanitarian emergencies.
A safe hospital is prepared all the time. “Hospitals and other health
facilities are vital assets to communities on a day-to-day basis and when disaster
strikes; Safe hospitals protect patients, visitors staff and the investment in health
infrastructure from hazards; Safe hospitals continue to function and provide
lifesaving medical care in disasters; Assessment of the safety and preparedness
of hospitals identifies priorities for remedial action, including cost effective
retrofitting; New hospitals are safeguarded by risk sensitive sitting, design and
building in compliance with building codes; and Emergency planning, staff
training and exercises build hospital capacity to manage risks and respond
effectively”[ CITATION Wor11 \l 1033 ].
A report shared by Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation Inc.
(2019) about  the World Risk Report of 2018, the Philippines is the third most
vulnerable country to disasters, it lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire were 80% of
earthquakes occur and around 20-25 typhoons ravage the country every year,
leading to the loss of lives and millions of damages to infrastructure and
livelihood; further, about 220 known volcanoes dot the country and at least 22 of
them are considered active.
Tropical Cyclone Bailu (local name Inday) hit the Philippines, the Northern
provinces and Metro Manila was hit by floods and landslides following heavy
monsoon rains compounded last August 2019. Rains left densely populated areas
of Metro Manila in knee-high floods, while flash floods and landslides in northern
and central Luzon on 24-25 August affected thousands and left two people dead,
further, the province of Ilocos Norte had experience a widespread flooding,
displaced communities, inundated farmlands and drowned livestock.
Furthermore, the government reported that 241 families remain displaced and
are taking refuge in evacuation centers or hosted by relatives and friends, and

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the Agricultural and infrastructure damages were estimated to amount to more
than US$570,000; and the provincial government of Ilocos Norte had declared a
state of calamity to access funds to support response and early recovery efforts.
[CITATION rel191 \l 13321 ]
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shared by undersecretary L.G.S.
Bersales in PSA webpage about the “Deaths in the Philippines 2016,” deaths in
2016 reached 582,183. There was an increase of 21, 578 or 3.8 percent higher
than the previous year’s 560,605 deaths. Additionally, out of 582, 183 registered
deaths, 342, 705 (59.2%) were unattended and 236, 904 (40.5%) were
medically attended [ CITATION Ber18 \l 13321 ].

According to the study of Estember & Abiog, December (2018), entitled

“VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF PANGASINAN PROVINCE TO TYPHOONS,
FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES,” the province of Pangasinan has been listed as flood
and typhoon -prone province and located in the west central area of Luzon, one
of the vulnerable provinces. It was noted that there are 28% or 49 out of 175
typhoons that entered the Philippine area of responsibility directly affected the
province. The Pangasinan’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (PDRRMC) had reported a total of 405 casualties due to typhoons which
188 were reported died, 183 people injured and 34 people were missing.
Dagupan City as fell under “Highly Vulnerable” category because of its densely
populated location in the province, it is highly sensitive to natural disasters.
Meanwhile, Calasiao, Bolinao, Sual and Santa Barbara were categorized under
“Moderately Vulnerable.” Sual and Bolinao also had high exposure and these
cities fall under “Moderately Vulnerable” category in overall of their assessment.
In contrast, the study resulted that least vulnerable locations in the
province were Mangatareem, Alaminos City, Asingan, Tayug, Villasis, San
Quintin, San Manuel, Infant, Manaoag, Pozorrubio, Labrador and Natividad. The
results provided the three factors such as exposure, sensitivity and adaptive

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capacity are all equally significant. The study claimed that the exposure of the
province toward typhoon would be remain consistent in following years or
worsen due to climate change and the flood management system helped
decrease the frequency of flood especially cities and municipalities which
identified as flood-prone. In additions, enforcement of precautionary
measurement also reduce landslides occurrence [ CITATION Est \l 13321 ].
However, last July 2018, in Lingayen as part of Pangasinan, the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved a resolution declaring a state of calamity,
saying the entire province and “numerous” individuals were “gravely affected” by
floodin; where, around 300 barangays in Pangasinan were reportedly submerged
in flood water due to heavy rains spawned by Tropical Depressions Inday and
Josie and enhanced by the southwest monsoon. More than 10,000 families or
43,334 persons were affected by flooding, according to the Provincial Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council [ CITATION Vis18 \l 13321 ].
A report from the work “Estimating Earthquake Risks: The Use of Rapid
Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS) in the Province of Pangasinan,
Philippines” by Silvestre P. et.al., (2017), in case a magnitude of 6.9 earthquakes
there were estimated fatalities (number of death) in Pangasinan. The cities and
municipalities that have the highest number of fatalities include Dagupan City
(109), Urdaneta City (94), San Carlos City (92), and the towns of Mangaldan
(73), and Calasiao (63); a total estimated number of 1,321 fatalities. Meanwhile,
the total estimated number of injuries resulted to 1, 321, a total of 52,382 for
minor injuries, 10,949 for serious injuries, and 459 for severe injuries. As to the
overall estimated number of injuries, the result is 1,321.
Meanwhile, many reports and evidences about disaster are emerging in
the Philippines, some of these are the affected establishments and
infrastructures like schools, markets, hospitals etc. both public and private, that’s
why the Department of Health (DOH) is evidently eager to empower and help all

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intitutions’ Disaster Risk Reductions and Management Offices. All, especially
hospitals that are mandated to comply with the “Nationwide Simultaneous Earth
Quake Drill.” However, some are not serious in doing the drill, so how could they
do the proper actions or ways when disaster happens. Being not serious in the
conduct of the drill could lead to a chaotic management.
Collectively, the researcher believes that any disastrous event can happen
at any point in time, any place you stand and any situation you encounter. Aside
from that since it is inevitable, all human beings shall be ready or prepared all
the time. At certain points, if ever one thing happened about it, it won’t select or
choose a particular age group, so, everybody must be equipped, trained or
oriented about disaster preparedness and management. Additionally, every time
the hospital conducts drills/rehearsals, some employees are not seriously
participating. Thus, the researcher would like to determine the knowledge level
of the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital administrative staff on disaster, and their
attitude and practices toward disaster, to somehow help in enhancing the
standard programs for disaster preparedness and response.

Theoretical Framework
Experiential Learning Theory

A discussion made by McLeod (2018) entitled “KOLB'S LEARNING STYLES

AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CYCLE,” claimed that David Kolb’s experiential
learning theory works on two levels: a four-stage cycle of learning and four
separate learning styles.  Much of Kolb’s theory is concerned with the learner’s
internal cognitive processes. Kolb states that learning involves the acquisition of
abstract concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations.  In Kolb’s
theory, the impetus for the development of new concepts is provided by new
experiences.

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 He also stated that learning is the process whereby knowledge is created
through the transformation of experience. Kolb's experiential learning style
theory is typically represented by a four-stage learning cycle in which the learner
'touches all the bases: a. Concrete Experience - (a new experience or situation
is encountered, or a reinterpretation of existing experience); b. Reflective
Observation of the New Experience - (of particular importance are any
inconsistencies between experience and understanding); c. Abstract
Conceptualization (reflection gives rise to a new idea, or a modification of an
existing abstract concept The person has learned from their experience); and d.
Active Experimentation (the learner applies their idea(s) to the world around
them to see what happens).
Effective learning is seen when a person progresses through a cycle of
four stages: of (1) having a concrete experience followed by (2) observation of
and reflection on that experience which leads to (3) the formation of abstract
concepts (analysis) and generalizations (conclusions) which are then (4) used to
test hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences [ CITATION
McL17 \l 13321 ].

So, since Kolb’s theory is concerned with the learner’s internal cognitive
processes and he stated that learning involves the acquisition of abstract
concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations. It is very applicable
to the present study because in terms of awareness on disaster, if ever the
hospital administrative staff have already experienced managing certain scenario
which is almost related to the next, they could easily and intelligently manage
the situation. Though at a certain point, orientation will be acquired through their
experiences, practices or the way they have observed in their environment.
Cognitive Development Theory
As discussed by McLeod (2018), Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive
development helps in explains how a child constructs a mental model of the

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world. It disagreed with the idea that intelligence was a fixed trait, and regarded
cognitive development as a process which occurs due to biological maturation
and interaction with the environment.
He also elaborated that there are three basic components of Piaget’s
theory: a. Schemata- building blocks of knowledge; b. Adaptation processes that
enable the transition from one stage to another (equilibrium, assimilation,
and accommodation); c. Stages of Cognitive Development (sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational).
He further discussed that Jean Piaget defined intellectual growth as a
process of adaptation (adjustment) to the world. This happens through: 1.
Assimilation which is using an existing schema to deal with a new object or
situation; 2. Accommodation which happens when the existing schema
(knowledge) does not work, and needs to be changed to deal with a new object
or situation; 3. Equilibration which is the force that moves development along.
Equilibrium happens when a child's schemas can deal with most new
information through assimilation. However, an unpleasant state of disequilibrium
occurs when new information cannot be fitted into existing schemas
(assimilation). It is the force which drives the learning process as we do not like
to be frustrated and will seek to restore balance by mastering the new challenge
(accommodation). Moreover, when new information is acquired, the process of
assimilation with the new schema will continue until the next time we need to
make an adjustment to it [ CITATION McL18 \l 13321 ].
He elaborated that Piaget proposed four stages of cognitive development
which reflect the increasing sophistication of children's thought: 1) Sensorimotor
stage (birth to age 2) - the main achievement during this stage is OBJECT
PERMANENCE; 2) Pre-operational stage (from age 2 to age 7) during this stage,
young children can think about things symbolically; 3) Concrete operational stage
(from age 7 to age 11) Piaget considered the concrete stage a major turning

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point in the child's cognitive development because it marks the beginning of
logical or OPERATIONAL THOUGHT; 4) Formal operational stage (age 11+ -
adolescence and adulthood). The formal operational stage begins at
approximately age eleven and lasts into adulthood. During this time, people
develop the ability to think about abstract concepts, and logically test
hypotheses.
The researchers find “Cognitive Learning Theory” to be also very
applicable in this study because basically, the level of disaster preparedness of
the hospital administrative staff may be acquired accordingly from the schemata
like having a basic knowledge on disaster managements the way they have
learned from their environment as they grow older and eventually, they make
internal development to make things more valuable, meaningful and applicable.
They will also eventually, use all of their prior knowledge to formally test, know
or create new knowledge and adapt or adjust to new situations.

Conceptual Framework
This study will be anchored to the concept presented below regarding
knowledge, attitude and practices of Pangasinan Provincial Hospital
Administrative Staff on disaster.
A legal basis which will be taken from the Republic Act (RA) No. 10121
titled “AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PHILIPPINE DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, PROVIDING FOR THE
NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT
FRAMEWORK AND INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NATIONAL DISASTER
RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES,” as three of its main goals are: “to
uphold the people’s constitutional rights to life and property by addressing the
root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters, strengthening the country’s

10 | P a g e
institutional capacity for disaster risk reduction and management and building
the resilience of local communities to disasters including climate change impacts;
to develop, promote, and implement a comprehensive National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) that aims to strengthen the capacity
of the national government and the local government units (LGUs), together with
partner stakeholders, to build the disaster resilience of communities, and’ to
institutionalize arrangements and measures for reducing disaster risks, including
projected climate risks, and enhancing disaster preparedness and response
capabilities at all levels; and to enhance and implement a program where
humanitarian aid workers, communities, health professionals, government aid
agencies, donors, and the media are educated and trained on how they can
actively support breastfeeding before and during a disaster and/or an
emergency.”
Figure 1 shows the representation of the study with the title
“KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF PANGASINAN PROVINCIAL
HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ON DISASTER.”
The input of the study will be: a) the profile of the respondents as to
length of service as PPH staff, educational attainment and relevant training or
seminars; b)their

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Pangasinan Provincial
11 | P a g e
Hospital Administrative
Staff as to:
- length of service as PPH staff
 Enhancement
Program on
Disaster
Preparedness
and
Management.
a) Staff’s Level of
Knowledge on Disaster.

b) Staff’s Attitude on
Disaster.

c) Staff’s Practices on
Disaster.

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

knowledge level on disaster; c) their attitude on disaster; and their practices on
disaster preparedness and management.
For the process, the study will utilize a quantitative- descriptive analysis
with the help of survey questionnaire to determine the knowledge level, the
attitude and practices on disaster of the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital
Administrative Staff.
As a result, the researchers will make an output which is an enhancement
program on disaster preparedness and management that will surely improve the

12 | P a g e
level of knowledge, and the attitude and practices of the Hospital Administrative
Staff.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the knowledge level and the attitude and
practices on disaster of the Administrative Staff Pangasinan Provincial Hospital,
San Carlos City, Pangasinan.”
Specifically, it seeks to answer the following sub-problems:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1.length of service as Pangasinan Provincial Hospital staff;
1.2.educational attainment; and
1.3.relevant trainings or seminars?
2. What is the knowledge level of Pangasinan Provincial Hospital Administrative
Staff on disaster?
3. What is the attitude of Pangasinan Provincial Hospital Administrative Staff
towards disaster?
4. What are practices of Pangasinan Provincial Hospital Administrative Staff on
disaster?
5. Is there a significant difference between the profile of the respondents and
the following:
5.1.their knowledge level on disaster;
5.2.their attitude towards disaster; and
5.3.their practices on disaster?
6. Based from the findings, what enhancement program on disaster
preparedness and management is suggestive to be implemented in the
hospital administrative section?

Hypothesis

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 The following hypothesis will be tested at the 0.05 level of significance:
1. There is no significant difference between the profile of the respondents
and the following: a) their knowledge level on disaster; b) their attitude
towards disaster; and c) their practices on disaster.

Scope and Delimitation

The study will mainly focus on the level of knowledge, attitude and
practices on disaster of the Administrative Staff of Pangasinan Provincial
Hospital, located in San Carlos City, Pangasinan.
It is undeniable that some people may react differently during the actual
scenarios like instead of staying calm, they tend to panic which leads them to an
unfocused state, so number of casualties may tend to increase. Moreover, if ever
huge causality has been recorded and few among hospital administrative
personnel are trained in terms of rescuing, first aid or medical treatment or
interventions; among the people, who will save the others if the medical team is
currently taking care of patients and watchers.
The study is limited to cover only the administrative staff of the total
population of Pangasinan Provincial Hospital only, Medical and Nursing Service
staff are not included.
The implementation of this study will just start upon the approval of the
authorities of Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus.

Significance of the Study

The researcher believes that the possible results of the study will be
useful and will provide a great help to the following:
Department of Health. This will serve as a basis for their
implementation of disaster preparedness drill and this will serve as an eye

14 | P a g e
opener to them as they will be led by this study about the importance of
trainings emergency responses.
Pangasinan Provincial Hospital esp. Administrative Staff. The staff
will benefit from this study in a sense that it is concern with a program that will
enhance their level of awareness and preparedness on disaster.
Future Researchers. The findings of this study will serve as a baseline
data for further studies related to disaster awareness and preparedness.
Additionally, this will lead them to make future researches about enhancing the
capabilities of Heath care Institution Workers.

Definition of Terms
The following terms are introduced for a better understanding of the
study, since they are defined operationally:
Attitude. It refers to the computed self-rating among the hospital
administrative staff on the identified attitude towards disaster.
Disaster. It is an event or situation that can affect the normal state of a
certain scenario, all aspects of human beings, their ways of living or life styles
and their environment.
Disaster Preparedness. It is the readiness of human beings to all
inevitable circumstances specifically the natural disasters.
Educational Attainment. It refers to the highest educational attainment
of the hospital administrative staff.
Enhanced Program. It refers to the main output of the study that would
provide an enhancement seminars and trainings for the improvement or to
enhance the hospital administrative staff’s knowledge, attitude and skills on
disaster preparedness and to make a basis for more programs.

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 Emergency Health Care Management. It refers to a set of health care
procedures that are intended for any emergency or accidents which require
immediate or urgent response or treatment.
Health Care Services. It refers to available services which the hospital
can offer specifically for the health of the employees and the stakeholders. These
are the health promotions and disease preventions, the health related activities
done by the hospital staff, and the actions and preparations for hazards and
disasters.
Length of Service. It refers to the number of months and years of
service of the hospital administrative staff.
Level of Knowledge. It refers to the computed level of knowledge of
the hospital administrative staff on disaster.
Practices on Disaster. It refers to the computed frequency of identified
practices on disaster preparedness and management among the hospital
administrative staff.
Relevant Trainings or Seminars. It refers to the attended trainings
and seminars related to disaster preparedness and response of management, by
the hospital administrative staff.

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
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 This chapter presents the literatures and studies that are relevant to the
present study, which provide guides, references and supporting data to the main
subject or topic.

Foreign Literature

Disaster was defined by the United Nations  as “a serious disruption of the

functioning of a community or a society, which involves widespread human,
material, economic or environmental impacts and exceeds the ability of the
affected community or society to cope using its own resources [ CITATION Wor16 \l
13321 ].

Disaster is defined by International Federation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies (2019), is a “sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts
the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and
economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s
ability to cope using its own resources; though often caused by nature, disasters
can have human origins.
Disaster preparedness is described as the measures taken to prepare for
and reduce the effects of disasters. It is also a way of predicting and preventing
possible disasters to mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations and respond
effectively to cope with the consequences. It also provides a platform to design
effective, realistic and coordinated planning and it reduces duplication of efforts.
The activities on disaster preparedness are embedded with risk reduction
measures which can prevent disaster situations and also result in saving
maximum lives and livelihoods during any disaster situation, enabling the
affected population to get back to normalcy within a short time period [CITATION
Int20 \l 13321 ].

17 | P a g e
 Disaster preparedness is also a continuous and integrated process
resulting from a wide range of risk reduction activities and resources rather than
from a distinct sectoral activity by itself. It requires the contributions of many
different areas—ranging from training and logistics, to health care, recovery,
livelihood to institutional development [ CITATION Int20 \l 13321 ].
There is no nation or country that is immune from disaster, though
vulnerability to disaster varies. The following are the four main types of disaster:
1) Natural disasters- including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano
eruptions that have immediate impacts on human health and secondary impacts
causing further death and suffering from (for example) floods, landslides, fires,
tsunamis; 2) Environmental emergencies- including technological or industrial
accidents, usually involving the production, use or transportation of hazardous
material, and occur where these materials are produced, used or transported,
and forest fires caused by humans; 3) Complex emergencies- involving a break-
down of authority, looting and attacks on strategic installations, including conflict
situations and war; and 4) Pandemic emergencies: involving a sudden onset of
contagious disease that affects health, disrupts services and businesses, brings
economic and social costs [ CITATION Wor16 \l 13321 ].
The World Confederation for Physical Therapy (2016) declared that any
forms of disaster can alter essential services, such as health care, electricity,
water, sewage/garbage removal, transportation and communications. The
alteration can definitely affect the health, social and economic networks of local
communities and countries. Disasters may have major and long-lasting impacts
on people long after the immediate effect has been mitigated. Local, regional,
national and international organizations are all involved in mounting a
humanitarian response to disasters. Each will have a prepared disaster
management plan. These plans cover prevention, preparedness, relief and
recovery.

18 | P a g e
 Disaster prevention is very vital because these activities are designed to
provide permanent protection from disasters. Not all disasters, particularly
natural disasters, can be prevented, but the risk of loss of life and injury can be
mitigated with good evacuation plans, environmental planning and design
standards. Additionally, the disaster preparedness which involves activities
designed to minimize loss of life and damage – for example by removing people
and property from a threatened location and by facilitating timely and effective
rescue, relief and rehabilitation. Preparedness is the main way of reducing the
impact of disasters. Community-based preparedness and management should be
a high priority in physical therapy practice management [ CITATION Wor16 \l 13321 ].
Another vital for disaster is the disaster relief which is a coordinated multi-
agency response to reduce the impact of a disaster and its long-term results.
Relief activities include rescue, relocation, providing food and water, preventing
disease and disability, repairing vital services such as telecommunications and
transport, providing temporary shelter and emergency health care. Next is the
disaster recovery because once emergency needs have been met and the initial
crisis is over, the people affected and the communities that support them are still
vulnerable. Recovery activities include rebuilding infrastructure, health care and
rehabilitation. These should blend with development activities, such as building
human resources for health and developing policies and practices to avoid similar
situations in future. Lastly, is the disaster management which is linked with
sustainable development, particularly in relation to vulnerable people such as
those with disabilities, elderly people, children and other marginalized
groups. Health Volunteers Overseas publications address some of the common
misunderstandings about disaster management [ CITATION Wor16 \l 13321 ].

Local Literature

19 | P a g e
 Just like other countries, the Philippines is naturally prone to disasters
– typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and
others. Filipinos have already surpassed these kinds of disasters and have
conditioned themselves for some more disasters to come each year. This is due
to the geographic set-up of the country since it is located along the so-called
Pacific Ring of Fire. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, located in the midst
of large bodies of water, it is very favorable to the natural formation of storms
and typhoons. In the light of those horrifying disaster that struck the country, it
seems that in terms of preparedness, mitigation and response efforts, there were
still gaps in which the government has to realize improvements. Government still
has a lot rules to implement and people has a lot of roles to be played with, that
is why they must be aware and at the same time be prepared, before, during,
and after each and every disaster [ CITATION Del15 \l 13321 ].
Indeed, calamities and disasters can happen anytime. With the advent of
science and new technologies, calamities and disasters can now be projected at
a more or less realistic time – or even at a realistic time. Seasons can also be a
good indicator for a calamity or disaster to come, however, the challenge is still
about what specific time and place this particular catastrophe has to surface.
This condition puts all people and properties into uncertainty. It is always good
and ideal to be certain in our thoughts, conditions, and decisions for the future,
but obviously it is so difficult and sometimes impossible to attain certainty. The
performance of each locality, city or municipality in preventing and mitigating the
adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters, counts on the way local
government units in particular, have prepared for disaster possibilities in their
respective jurisdictions. Contingency planning is actually a fundamental tool, but
good plan cannot stand alone without having an empowered citizenry,
infrastructures, emergency response mechanisms, rehabilitation, and other
important logistics. The bottom line of the aforementioned would questions

20 | P a g e
about the financial capabilities of the government or the local government units
to be specific. The Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Fund(LDRRMF) as stipulated under Rule 18 of its Implementing Rules and
Regulations, has to utilize the fund which amounting to not less than five percent
of the total estimated revenue from the regular sources shall be set aside as the
LDRRMF supports the LDRRMF activities such as, but not limited to, pre-disaster
preparedness programs including training, purchasing life-saving rescue
equipment, supplies and medicines, for post disaster activities, payments of
calamity insurance and construction of evacuation centers [ CITATION Del15 \l
13321 ].

Foreign Study
In the study of B. Ahmad et.al, (2017) declared that is imperative to
increase the knowledge and attitude of people regarding the natural and man-
made disasters in order to make them able to cope up with their adverse effects.
The study attempted to access the knowledge, attitude, and practices of college
students studying in district Ganderbal of Kashmir valley regarding disaster
preparedness. The results yielded that there is a general lack of information
among students regarding disaster awareness and preparedness. They declared
that it highlights the need for disaster safety education. The level of practice was
largely negative with acceptable knowledge and positive attitude regarding
disaster preparedness among college students of district Ganderbal Kashmir
valley. It is concluded that disaster never happened does not mean, it cannot
happen. Students can be proving useful workforce in disaster situation. College
students need to know basic strategies carried out in disaster.
It further claimed that, it is imperative to increase the knowledge and
attitude of people regarding the natural and man-made disasters in order to
make them able to cope up with their adverse effects. For being well aware and

21 | P a g e
prepared for disasters, it is needed to develop knowledge, skill and values at all
level.
In the study, a well-designed questionnaire was prepared and distributed
among 400 students selected randomly from different Colleges of District
Ganderbal of Kashmir valley. Purpose and method of the study undertaken was
explained to the students to get their consent. The instrument of research was a
validated self-administered questionnaire based on literature available on the
topic. The questionnaire was designed to assess students’ knowledge and
awareness among students about disaster preparedness. The data collected
from the study were tabulated and analyzed using statistical tools percentage,
mean and Kruskal Wallis test in which p-value less than 0.05 is considered as
significant at 5% level of significance and p-value less than 0.01 is considered as
significant at 1% level of significance. According to the results, the students are
not well aware regarding disasters. As students want to be prepared for disasters
and they need to take up the appropriate steps for the same like proper planning
and management for disasters, training of common masses and preparation of
proper disaster plans. Results yielded to no disaster drills and trainings are
carried out in the colleges while as the students want to be well aware and
prepared for disasters subject to condition provided the facilities by the
concerned authorities. Statistically, there is a significant difference in the
responses of the students (p<0.01).

Local Study
The study of A. Villanueva and P. Villanueva Jr. (2019) stated that in the
Philippines, natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes are now frequently
occurring. The government had increased its efforts to implement the disaster
risk reduction management (DRRM) program as its answer to the frequent
occurrence. It gives an overview of the Awareness and Disaster Preparedness of

22 | P a g e
the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (BDRRMCs)
of Laur, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. It focused on the flood and landslide-prone
barangays of Laur, Nueva Ecija. The study used the Goal Model of Organizational
Theory to measure the awareness of BDRRMCs. The awareness of BDRRMCs was
measured against the goals and objectives of Republic Act 10121 also known as
Philippines Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act. The study
used as a research tool the Checklist of Disaster Preparedness divided into four
thematic areas namely; a) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, b) Disaster
Preparedness, c) Disaster Response, and d) Disaster Rehabilitation and
Recovery. The study showed the need for periodic evaluation of the effectiveness
of Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (DRRMCs)
and to set the standard of performance not only for the purpose of policy
evaluation but also for measuring community involvement in disaster risk
reduction. Results showed that BDRRMCs will be most effective if they are
performing their functions and as prescribed by law, they should give priorities to
all thematic areas, especially prevention and mitigation, and disaster
preparedness to achieve the goals and objectives of RA 10121.
According to the study of R. Delara (2015), it is important to measure the
level of awareness and preparedness of the stakeholders because awareness can
be closely associated to one knowledge about a phenomenon brought about to
him/her from legitimate sources of information and authorities. Additionally,
being informed or aware does not always guarantee that a particular person or
institution is prepared enough in times calamities and disasters come, because as
we all know logistics and infrastructural preparedness would significantly count
into the cycle preparation.

SYNTHESIS

23 | P a g e
 Disaster could highly affect not only humans but all forms of biodiversity
and their habitats. Specifically, it can seriously disrupt the functioning of a
community or society and causes human, material, and economic or
environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope
using its own resources.
Disaster preparedness is prescribed among all humans to prepare for and
reduce the effects of disasters. It is also a way of predicting and preventing
possible disasters to mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations and respond
effectively to cope with the consequences. Thus, activities on disaster
preparedness are embedded with risk reduction measures and management.
Disaster preparedness shall also be a continuous and integrated process because
there is no nation or country that is immune from disaster and vulnerability to
disaster varies. Disaster may be classified as natural disasters, environmental
emergencies, complex emergencies, and pandemic emergencies. Local, regional,
national and international organizations shall all be involved in mounting a
humanitarian response to disasters. Each will have a prepared disaster
management plan. These plans cover prevention, preparedness, relief and
recovery.
The Philippines is naturally prone to disasters – typhoons, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and others, and this is inevitable
due to the geographic set-up of the country since it is located along the so-called
Pacific Ring of Fire.
Since it is imperative to increase the knowledge and attitude of people
regarding the natural and man-made disasters in order to make them able to
cope up with their adverse effects, further studies are very important to
access the knowledge, attitude, and practices of all the citizens to reach
those who lack of disaster awareness and preparedness since the highlights is
safety education.

24 | P a g e
 It is concluded that disaster never happened does not mean, it cannot
happen and initially the students or all children who are very vulnerable in terms
of survival shall be properly education with disaster preparedness and
management causes they need to know basic strategies carried out in disaster.
It was emphasize that for being well aware and prepared for disasters; it is
needed to develop knowledge, skill and values at all level.
In the studies presented, a well-designed questionnaire will also be
adopted or prepared in the present study to get the main purpose of data
gathering and method will also be patterned or improved. The instrument of the
present study will be validated self-administered questionnaire based on
literature available on the topic.
Some results yielded that students are not well aware regarding disasters,
students want to be prepared for disasters and no disaster drills and trainings
are carried out in the colleges, the researchers would like to assess the status of
the knowledge, attitude and practices of hospital administrative staff on disaster.

CHAPTER 3

25 | P a g e
 METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the research design, sources of data or
respondents who will be included in the study, research locale or the location
where the research will be taken place; the instrument will be used to gather
important data, procedure to be done in gathering the necessary data, validation
to be performed for the instrument and statistical tools to be used in this study
to interpret the results to be obtained from the research.

Research Design
The study will employ quantitative - descriptive method in the collection of
data. It will attempt to describe the profile of the respondents, their level of
knowledge and their attitude and practices towards disaster. The study is
quantitative because it will involve surveys thru questionnaires to collect the data
and the respondents will be asked to choose from specific provided answers. It
will also employ statistical analyses to treat the posted problems and quantify the
data collected. Quantitative research encompasses the systematic collection of
numerical information of considerable control and analysis of that information
using statistical procedure. Its purpose is to observe, describe, and document
aspects of a situation as it naturally occurs and sometimes to serve as a starting
point for hypothesis generation for theory development. Correlation study
determines the extent of the relationship between two or more variables
[ CITATION Pol06 \l 13321 ]. Further, quantitative study- designs are specific, well

structured, has been tested for their validity and reliability, and can be explicitly
defined and recognized [ CITATION Kum14 \l 13321 ].
It is a descriptive study because, it attempts to describe systematically a
situation, problem, phenomenon, service or programs, or provides information
about, say, the living conditions of a community, or describes attitude towards

26 | P a g e
an issue; and the main purpose of such studies is to describe what is prevalent
with respect to the issue or problem under study[CITATION Kum14 \l 13321 ].

Sources of Data
Locale of the Study
The study will be conducted in the Provincial Hospital of Pangasinan,
Region 1, Philippines. Pangasinan Provincial Hospital is the biggest hospital being
managed by the provincial government. Figure 2 shows the map of the
Pangasinan, where provincial hospital is located.

Population Sampling

A purposive sampling design will be used to obtain the respondents of the study,
the workers who are currently assigned to administrative department. The total
number of the participants will just be declared as data are available but, the
study will surely cover all the total hospital administrative staff.

Figure 2. Map of the Philippines [CITATION Hue19 \l 1033 ].

27 | P a g e
 Figure 2. Map of the Pangasinan [ CITATION Bal12 \l 1033 ].
San Carlos City as the Main Site of the Study

Figure 2. Map where Pangasinan Provincial Hospital is located.

According to Moule & Goodman (2014), purposive sampling is “under non-
random sampling methods, which aims to sample a group of people or events
with a specific set of experiences or characteristics. It is also called as “judgment
sampling” as the researcher is making a judgment about the composition of the
sample, selecting respondents who they believe have either experienced a
particular episode or have a set of knowledge that relates to addressing the
research question. A purposive sample has an over-representation of a particular
and is not representative of an entire population studied."
Respondents will be measured for their highest educational attainment
(Four-Year Course, Four-Year Course with earned Health/Medical Related
Course-Unit, with Units in Master’s Degree, Graduated Master’s Degree, with

28 | P a g e
units in Doctoral Degree, Graduated Doctor’s Degree, or with other professional
attainments); their years of experiences as hospital administrative staff (5months
and below, 6months- 1 year, 2-3 years, 4-5 years, and 5 years and above); and
their seminars or pieces of training attended for the last five years (identified
available seminars in the Philippines that are related to disaster preparedness
and response or management.

Instrumentation and Data Collection

A questionnaire to be used among the respondents will be constructed
and anchored to books that are related to disaster preparedness and response or
management and manuals of different hospitals. It will be divided into two parts,
the first part will be dealing with the profile of the respondents, and the second
part will be the knowledge, attitude and practices of hospital administrative staff
on disaster. 
Initially, it will be consulted with the researcher’s adviser and some
experts in the field of disaster preparedness and response or management
before finalizing, for the possible critiques, comments, and suggestions and
improvement.
The researcher will first ask permission from the head or chief of the
Hospital, and hand in hand, he will gather some information regarding the
target. And, once approved, the researcher will personally distribute and retrieve
the same sets of instruments from each respondent. However, an alternative
way, which is through virtual survey, will be done, if ever the conduct is resisted
by the current situation due to the pandemic.
The purpose of the study and the content will be specified, and
respondents will be given enough time to answer the instrument, to encourage a
high degree of objectivity. The data collected will be checked for missing

29 | P a g e
information or unaccomplished items. Lastly, the researcher will analyze all the
data to come up with interpretations that are sole to be used in the study. 
According to Kumar (2014), a questionnaire “is a written list of questions,
the answers to which are recorded by respondents. Thus, respondent read the
questions, interpret what is expected and then write down the answers. As there
is no one to explain the meaning of questions to respondents, it is important that
the questions are clear and easy to understand. It should be developed in an
interactive style; respondents should feel as if someone is talking to them.”
The questionnaire constructed will be subjected to content validation by
five experts (a chief nurse or a nurse supervisor, an administrative head, an
infection control nurse, a doctor of medicine and research expert) in the health
fields. Content validity according to Kumar (2014), “is also judged on the basis of
the extent to which statements or questions represent the issue they are
supposed to measure, as judged by the researcher, your leadership and experts
in the field.” Subsequently, pretesting of the research instrument will follow to
evaluate readability, adequacy of its content and to determine if ever
improvements on some aspects of the questionnaire are needed. The validity of
the questionnaire will be declared once computed.
When the questionnaire is already developed, it will undergo reliability
test, which is according to Kumar (2014), “is a test for the consistency in its
findings when used repeatedly.” And further, according to Hulley et al. (2013),
“reliability is also called reproducibility, precision and consistency, and it is
defined as a function of random error.” The reliability of the questionnaire will be
conducted among the secretaries of the department heads of Pangasinan
Provincial Hospital, right after the approval of their heads.

Tools for Data Analysis

30 | P a g e
 After gathering the data, they will be tabulated, analyzed, and interpreted
to support and provide the possible answers to the questions posted. Each Sub-
problem will be treated through descriptive statistics. Sub-problem number 1
which is the profile of the respondents, will be frequency and percentage; for
sub-problem number 2, 3, and 4, frequency counts and average weighted; for
sub-problem numbers 5, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); and for the sub-problem
numbers 6, based on the results, am enhanced disaster preparedness and
response or management program for employees will be constructed.
To summarize the frequency counts and percentages, the results will be
presented through figures and tables for ease of comparison. The frequency
count refers to the number of how frequently the variables are present or
appears in the data gathered. The percentages will be obtained using this
formula:
f
Percentage ( % )= x 100
n

Where: f = frequency
n = total number of respondents
100= constant

The formula for Weighted Mean is:

∑ fx
Weighted Mean=
∑f
Where: ∑ fx = summation of products
∑ f = total number of respondents

The weighted average will be computed by multiplying the number of

frequencies by the assigned numerical value of each column then adding the
products along the row.

31 | P a g e
 The level of knowledge, and the attitude and practices of the hospital
administrative staff on disaster will be determined by the total frequency and
weighted means, from the self-assessment of the respondents on their
perceptions.
The level of knowledge will be in a 5 - point Likert scale which shall be
rated as:
Numerical Statistical Limits Descriptive
Rating or Equivalent
LEVEL

5 4.21 – 5.00 Highly Knowledgeable

4 3.41 – 4.20 Knowledgeable

3 2.61 – 3.40 Moderatel

Knowledgeable

2 1.81 – 2.60 Slightly

Knowledgeable

1 1.00 – 1.80 Not Knowledgeable

The Attitude and Practices will be determined depending on their

agreement level in a 5 - point Likert scale which shall be rated as:
Numerical Statistical Limits Descriptive
Rating or Equivalent
LEVEL

5 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree

4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree

3 2.61 – 3.40 Undecided

2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree

32 | P a g e
 1 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree

The difference between the profile of the respondents and their

knowledge level, and their attitude and practices on disaster, will be analyzed
using ANOVA (Analysis of Variance).
ANOVA is used to “find out if survey or experiment results are significant;
it will help in rejecting the null hypothesis or accepting the alternate hypothesis;
and it will help in testing the groups to see if there’s a difference between them,”
(Statistics How To, n.d.).
The formula for ANOVA (BYJU’S, n.d.):

Where: F = Anova Coefficient

MST = Mean sum of squares due to treatment
MSE = Mean sum of squares due to error.

Formula for MST is:

Where:
SST = Sum of squares due to treatment
p = Total number of populations
n = the total number of samples in a population.

Formula for MSE is given below:

33 | P a g e
 Where:
SSE = Sum of squares due to error
S = Standard deviation of the samples
N = Total number of observations.

In analyzing the data, the researcher prefers to use the SPSS Version

21.0 (Statistical Packages for Social Scientists 21.0) software because, according
to Moule & Goodman (2014), "the use of computer software enables the
emphasis of statistical analysis to be placed on appropriate techniques and the
interpretation of results and the accuracy of calculations is assured, provided that
the data have been entered correctly." 
Decisions to reject or accept the null hypothesis will be determined by
comparing the level of significance (p) value, where rejection is implied when
p<α (0.05).

34 | P a g e
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