Local Preparedness for Infectious Disease Outbreaks: A Qualitative Exploration of Willingness and Ability to Respond

Abstract

As ecologic, social, and economic conditions continue to facilitate the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases, local health department workers' willingness to respond will remain vital to the United States' ability to recognize and respond to new and emerging disease threats. As demonstrated by heavy occupational morbidity and mortality associated with the 2014 Ebola outbreak, infectious disease response can pose serious risks to the health workforce and presents many ethical and logistical challenges. To explore willingness to respond to an infectious disease outbreak among local health departments—the hub of the public health emergency preparedness system—we conducted focus groups with 46 local health department staff attending 2 national conferences. We examined perspectives from our participants on how local health department employees learn about and articulate their professional commitment to the department, the ways in which local health department leaders support local health department employees in responding to an outbreak, and how local health department staff articulate their responsibilities to their families. We conclude with a proposal for how a web of ethical commitments likely influences willingness to respond. These commitments and their relationship to willingness to respond should be explored further.

Responding to an infectious disease outbreak can pose serious risks to the health workforce and presents many ethical and logistical challenges. To explore willingness to respond to such an outbreak among local health departments, the authors conducted focus groups with 46 local health department staff. They examined perspectives on how local health department employees learn about and articulate their professional commitment, the ways in which local health department leaders support employees in responding to an outbreak, and how local health department staff articulate their responsibilities to their families.