Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands
Abstract Introduction The 2021 European floods in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands significantly impacted healthcare. With climate change increasing flood risks, healthcare preparedness is essential. Floods affect healthcare directly and indirectly by disrupting patient access, damaging infrast...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Health Research Policy and Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-025-01338-4 |
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| author | Robert A. J. Borst Yared Abayneh Abebe Karin van Vuuren Julien Magana Bert de Graaff Saba Hinrichs-Krapels Bas Kolen Maria Pregnolato Anja Schreijer Tina Comes Sebastiaan N. Jonkman Roland Bal |
| author_facet | Robert A. J. Borst Yared Abayneh Abebe Karin van Vuuren Julien Magana Bert de Graaff Saba Hinrichs-Krapels Bas Kolen Maria Pregnolato Anja Schreijer Tina Comes Sebastiaan N. Jonkman Roland Bal |
| author_sort | Robert A. J. Borst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction The 2021 European floods in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands significantly impacted healthcare. With climate change increasing flood risks, healthcare preparedness is essential. Floods affect healthcare directly and indirectly by disrupting patient access, damaging infrastructure and impeding care continuity. Our interdisciplinary research in the Netherlands systematically assesses flood impacts on healthcare, optimises disaster preparedness, patient logistics, and continuity and explores crisis governance, incorporating lessons from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Methods Our multi-sited, interdisciplinary project titled “Pandemic lessons for flood disaster preparedness” includes literature reviews on: (i) the (in) direct impacts of floods on healthcare, (ii) disaster decision-making strategies and (iii) patient logistics during crises. Empirically, ethnographic methods (interviews, focus groups, document analyses, and observations) will: (a) assess hospital flood preparedness, (b) explore decision-making and crisis management strategies and (c) analyse the dynamics of health system governance during floods. Data from these sources and flood scenarios will inform models on healthcare impacts and decision-making, culminating in a simulation game for research and training. Discussion This study offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to understanding and improving healthcare system preparedness for floods. By integrating diverse fields such as healthcare governance, disaster risk management, logistics and hydraulic engineering, we provide a unique lens on resilience. A key strength is the incorporation of lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing us to draw parallels between pandemic response and flood preparedness. In addition, our simulation game serves as a robust tool for translating knowledge into practice. However, the study’s reliance on collaboration with busy healthcare and disaster response professionals may limit engagement. Moreover, the absence of direct public and patient involvement in the research design, though partially mitigated by engaging representative organizations, presents a potential limitation. Lastly, the challenge of obtaining real-time data from flood events could introduce recall bias, but triangulation of various data sources aims to address this issue. Despite these challenges, the study’s integration of long-term data from recent floods and focus on healthcare-specific crisis governance provides valuable insights for improving disaster preparedness. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e5fc93879ab4509b925dfe84cccbae6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1478-4505 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Research Policy and Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e5fc93879ab4509b925dfe84cccbae62025-08-20T03:10:32ZengBMCHealth Research Policy and Systems1478-45052025-05-012311810.1186/s12961-025-01338-4Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the NetherlandsRobert A. J. Borst0Yared Abayneh Abebe1Karin van Vuuren2Julien Magana3Bert de Graaff4Saba Hinrichs-Krapels5Bas Kolen6Maria Pregnolato7Anja Schreijer8Tina Comes9Sebastiaan N. Jonkman10Roland Bal11Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University RotterdamFaculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of TechnologyErasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University RotterdamFaculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of TechnologyErasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University RotterdamFaculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of TechnologyFaculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of TechnologyFaculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of TechnologyPandemic and Disaster Preparedness CenterFaculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of TechnologyFaculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of TechnologyErasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University RotterdamAbstract Introduction The 2021 European floods in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands significantly impacted healthcare. With climate change increasing flood risks, healthcare preparedness is essential. Floods affect healthcare directly and indirectly by disrupting patient access, damaging infrastructure and impeding care continuity. Our interdisciplinary research in the Netherlands systematically assesses flood impacts on healthcare, optimises disaster preparedness, patient logistics, and continuity and explores crisis governance, incorporating lessons from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Methods Our multi-sited, interdisciplinary project titled “Pandemic lessons for flood disaster preparedness” includes literature reviews on: (i) the (in) direct impacts of floods on healthcare, (ii) disaster decision-making strategies and (iii) patient logistics during crises. Empirically, ethnographic methods (interviews, focus groups, document analyses, and observations) will: (a) assess hospital flood preparedness, (b) explore decision-making and crisis management strategies and (c) analyse the dynamics of health system governance during floods. Data from these sources and flood scenarios will inform models on healthcare impacts and decision-making, culminating in a simulation game for research and training. Discussion This study offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to understanding and improving healthcare system preparedness for floods. By integrating diverse fields such as healthcare governance, disaster risk management, logistics and hydraulic engineering, we provide a unique lens on resilience. A key strength is the incorporation of lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing us to draw parallels between pandemic response and flood preparedness. In addition, our simulation game serves as a robust tool for translating knowledge into practice. However, the study’s reliance on collaboration with busy healthcare and disaster response professionals may limit engagement. Moreover, the absence of direct public and patient involvement in the research design, though partially mitigated by engaging representative organizations, presents a potential limitation. Lastly, the challenge of obtaining real-time data from flood events could introduce recall bias, but triangulation of various data sources aims to address this issue. Despite these challenges, the study’s integration of long-term data from recent floods and focus on healthcare-specific crisis governance provides valuable insights for improving disaster preparedness.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-025-01338-4FloodsHealthcareResilienceDisastersCrisisGovernance |
| spellingShingle | Robert A. J. Borst Yared Abayneh Abebe Karin van Vuuren Julien Magana Bert de Graaff Saba Hinrichs-Krapels Bas Kolen Maria Pregnolato Anja Schreijer Tina Comes Sebastiaan N. Jonkman Roland Bal Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands Health Research Policy and Systems Floods Healthcare Resilience Disasters Crisis Governance |
| title | Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands |
| title_full | Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands |
| title_fullStr | Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands |
| title_short | Keeping healthcare afloat: a protocol for a 5-year multi-sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the Netherlands |
| title_sort | keeping healthcare afloat a protocol for a 5 year multi sited interdisciplinary research project into preparedness of healthcare for floods in the netherlands |
| topic | Floods Healthcare Resilience Disasters Crisis Governance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-025-01338-4 |
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