Bridging Perceptions and Practice: HEOCs Leaders' Insights on the SHEPA Tool for Hospital Preparedness in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

The escalating frequency and severity of disasters and the emergence of global health threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed vulnerabilities in hospital preparedness and response systems.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores leaders' perceptions of the SHEPA tool's application in Saudi hospitals to enhance emergency preparedness.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 21 Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) leaders assessed familiarity, usefulness, ease of use, and impact using a Likert scale and open-ended questions. Logistic regression was used to analyze differences by occupation and experience.

RESULTS

The study participants primarily consisted of mid-career professionals, with the majority (57.1%) falling within the 25-34 years age group. A significant gender imbalance was observed, with male participants (85.7%) vastly outnumbering their female counterparts (14.3%). Educationally, most participants held a Bachelor's degree (61.9%). Most participants (71-81%) rated the tool highly useful and impactful, though ease of use received mixed reviews. Experienced professionals valued utility more but critiqued impact (OR = 5096 for usefulness; OR = 0.07 for impact). Given the small sample size (N = 21), these logistic regression findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory. However, the consistent patterns suggested that both professional role and experience level meaningfully shaped how the SHEPA tool is perceived, with more senior and experienced staff showing both greater appreciation of its utility and critical assessment of its impacts.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted the SHEPA tool's potential to strengthen hospital emergency preparedness in Saudi Arabia, with strong endorsement from health emergency operations centers' leaders. The tool's perceived usefulness and ability to identify improvement areas align with national preparedness goals, though its ease of use and impact evaluation require refinement. The logistic regression findings are exploratory due to the limited sample size and require validation in larger, more diverse cohorts.