Determining CBRN Risk Perceptions and Preparedness Levels and Related Factors of Emergency Health Services Personnel: Tekirdağ Provincial Example

Emergency medical services personnel are among the first responders in the event of a CBRN incident. The aim of this study is to determine the CBRN risk perceptions, preparedness levels, and related factors of emergency medical personnel working in Tekirdağ district. The study was conducted with 142 participants. A socio-demographic questionnaire consisting of 30 items and a scale measuring risk perception and preparedness for CBRN hazards were used. The participants’ responses were transferred to the SPSS 21.0 software, and validity of the measurements was tested through confirmatory factor analysis. As the data were found to be normally distributed across all independent variables, differences between two group means were analyzed using t-tests, and ANOVA were used for variables with more than two categories. In the bivariate analysis, the mean risk perception score of personnel who had participated in CBRN duties was found to be significantly higher than those who had not (p=0.03). Moreover, participants with one year or less of experience had significantly lower mean risk perception scores compared to other groups (p