Understanding health emergency management response planning in Oman: perspectives on standardization.

Abstract

Disaster response is often regarded as a critical phase in the disaster management cycle as it happens during the event itself. In particular, extensive stakeholder effort often boils down to and concentrated within the response point. Understanding then both the complexity of this phase and the nature of the integration and interaction between stakeholder is paramount. Therefore, a common ground is required in order for these stakeholders to interact and response efficiently. This common ground is standards, which form the basis of response plans. Similarly, the Health response sector have the same complexity and a vast number of stakeholders with uniformity and integration being a top priority. Thus, standards have the same level of importance for this sector. Moreover, standards often are looked at almost exclusively from a functionality point of view with lesser regards to how people perceive it. Therefore, this research aimed at further understanding standards by exploring users’ perception of current standards and their future desire. This was achieved by conducting a series of semi-structured interviews as a means of data collection. Next, the produced data was analyzed according to the designed framework. As a result, the Omani current standards typology was grounded in research and the desired future typology was determined. Thus, drawing a clear trajectory of end users’ perspective, which ultimately aided the achievement of a robust understanding of the Omani’s current health response planning system. This understanding lead to a clear identification of what Oman’s standards end users perceive current standards are (Rigid-explicit) and what is the desired future standards (Flexible-Implicit).