How organizational communication strategies and training influence healthcare employees' perception of crisis readiness

To better understand perception of crisis readiness, 731 hospital employees were surveyed online. Employees who participated in crisis training, attended a meeting, etc., perceived themselves and their hospital to be more crisis ready. Results showed awareness of the crisis communication plan leads to higher levels of perceived crisis readiness. This research showed training, two-way communication, and face-to-face communication all lead to greater perceived crisis readiness. Unlike previous research indicated, occupation (medical personal v. administration) and time employed did not lead to differences in perceptions of crisis readiness. Participants also reported that hospitals presented crisis plans through oral presentation more frequently than any other method. This type of face-to-face meeting is also the most preferred method of communication selected by participants. The top crisis concern of hospital employees is the threat of a nurse shortage followed by a natural disaster. Finally, previous crises experience leads to higher level of perceived awareness. Findings of this study can assist hospitals and other organizations when training and preparing employees to deal with crises.