Awareness, Preparedness, and Attitudes Toward Lightning Injury Management Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Eastern India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Incidents of lightning injuries are commonly reported in the coastal state of Odisha, India. It is a major weather-related cause of death in this region. Inadequate awareness of healthcare workers (HCWs) about lightning injury prevention and management can lead to suboptimal patient management. Despite several measures taken by various governments, fatalities due to lightning continue to rise. Injuries from lightning are preventable with adequate awareness and knowledge of the management of such patients. Identifying the knowledge gaps is the first step towards strengthening overall preparedness for lightning injury management in a healthcare organization. This study aims to assess the awareness and preparedness of HCWs in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Eastern India. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs in the 960-bed study hospital. Participants (n=246) were selected with a convenient sampling method that included doctors, nurses, technicians, hospital attendants, and other hospital support staff to ensure heterogeneity. Senior faculty members and administrative staff were excluded. A validated questionnaire was developed and provided to participants to assess awareness, attitudes, and preparedness regarding the prevention and management of lightning injuries. A scoring system of one and zero, along with a five-point Likert scale, was used to analyze the responses. The criteria were set to assess awareness level: high awareness (≥70%), moderate (40%-70%), and low awareness (<40%). Data were statistically analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics Software, trial version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results The mean awareness score of HCWs was 7.4 out of 12, indicating moderate awareness. Only 39% of participants demonstrated high awareness, with doctors scoring higher than all others. Prior training in emergency healthcare services and the profession of the HCWs were factors associated with high awareness (adjusted OR (aOR) = 3.46, CI = 95%) among the HCWs; 96% of participants felt the need for a structured training program on lightning prevention and the management of affected patients. Conclusion The study demonstrated that HCWs have moderate awareness and preparedness for managing lightning injuries. Attitudes toward learning were overwhelmingly positive, with a demand for structured training initiatives. Doctors and those with prior emergency or disaster management training had significantly higher awareness, reaffirming the need for training interventions. However, being conducted in a single setting, the generalizability of the study findings to other settings is limited.