Emergency and disaster preparedness among children and youth with disabilities and chronic conditions, their caregivers and service providers: a scoping review

PurposePeople with disabilities, especially children and youth, are often not considered in emergency and disaster preparedness planning, which leaves them vulnerable and at a higher risk of the negative effects of natural and human caused disasters. The purpose of this study was to understand the extent of emergency and disaster preparedness and factors influencing preparedness among children and youth with disabilities and chronic conditions, their caregivers and service providers.MethodsOur scoping review involved searching six international databases that identified 1146 studies of which 27 met our inclusion criteria.ResultsThe studies in this review involved 2613 participants (i.e., children, parents, educators and clinicians) across nine countries over a 20-year period. Our results highlighted the following trends: (1) the extent of emergency preparedness; (2) factors affecting emergency preparedness; and (3) interventions to enhance preparedness.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the critical need for more attention to emergency preparedness for children and youth with disabilities, their families and service providers and their inclusion in planning.