TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Being both helpers and victims: health professionals' experiences of working during a natural disaster
JO  - Prehospital and disaster medicine
A1  - Hugelius, Karin
A1  - Adolfsson, Annsofie
A1  - Ortenwall, Per
A1  - Gifford, Mervyn
SP  - 117
EP  - 123
VL  - 32
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: In November 2013, the Haiyan typhoon hit parts of the Philippines. The typhoon caused severe damage to the medical facilities and many injuries and deaths. Health professionals have a crucial role in the immediate disaster response system, but knowledge of their experiences of working during and in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster is limited. Aim The aim of this study was to explore health professionals' experiences of working during and in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. <br><br>METHOD: Eight health professionals were interviewed five months after the disaster. The interviews were analyzed using phenomenological hermeneutic methods. <br><br>RESULTS: The main theme, being professional and survivor, described both positive and negative emotions and experiences from being both a helper, as part of the responding organization, and a victim, as part of the surviving but severely affected community. Sub-themes described feelings of strength and confidence, feelings of adjustment and acceptance, feelings of satisfaction, feelings of powerless and fear, feelings of guilt and shame, and feelings of loneliness. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Being a health professional during a natural disaster was a multi-faceted, powerful, and ambiguous experience of being part of the response system at the same time as being a survivor of the disaster. Personal values and altruistic motives as well as social aspects and stress-coping strategies to reach a balance between acceptance and control were important elements of the experience. Based on these findings, implications for disaster training and response strategies are suggested. Hugelius K , Adolfsson A , Örtenwall P , Gifford M. Being both helpers and victims: health professionals' experiences of working during a natural disaster. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(2):1-7.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1049-023X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X16001412
ID  - ref1
ER  -