in which the majority of such facilities do not consider themselves equipped and / or prepared for a large-scale emergency situation despite the disposition to help . As an example , following the public health emergency of the H1N1 pandemic , a qualitative analysis across seven countries in the European Region as designated by the World Health Organization , found that the overwhelming majority of surveyed primary care physicians ( PCPs ) perceived themselves as unprepared to help during a disastrous / emergency situation at 80 %. 8-10 Furthermore , although the general public in all likelihood expects PCPs to collectively respond in the event of a public health emergency situation , such specialized training is not systematically prioritized in medical school , residency , or traditional daily medical practice . 9-10
As WV experienced a steady increase in COVID-19 infections , there was mounting concern amongst public health officials and healthcare providers , particularly given a large number of vulnerable populations in WV , including elderly patients , those with an array of contributing co-morbid diseas-
es , and those in areas already struggling economically . 4 , 10 , 13 In response to the ever-evolving events and subsequent list of virus-related challenges faced by WV communities , the WVPBRN established a specialized set of pertinent questions focused on Public Health Emergency Preparedness ( PHEP ), to gauge the perceived preparedness of clinical settings and healthcare providers , administrators , and researchers within the network . It is important to note that the purpose of this survey section was not to forecast the impacts of the current public health emergency as it relates to COVID-19 but rather to examine and gain a better understanding of perceptions , attitudes , and potential threats surrounding generalized public health emergencies . This survey aims to investigate the perceptions and confidence levels in health crisis preparedness among rural healthcare providers . By understanding the recent and unprecedented challenges facing primary care in regard to health crisis preparedness , research study designs can incorporate measures into the initiative to support rural providers and community health clinics in research efforts and emergency response projects to benefit rural populations . MATERIALS AND METHODS
As the global spread of COVID-19 intensified and eventually reached WV , the WVP- BRN saw an opportunity to evaluate provider preparedness during public health emergencies by including additional questions in its annual Collaborative Outcomes Research Engagement ( CORE ) Survey . This survey is released annually and is compiled from various proposals submitted by investigators interested in primary care perspectives . The compilation serves as a way to decrease the number of surveys sent to providers each year , while also giving precedence to state agency-identified disease-specific priority health areas . Institutional Review Board approval is on file at WV University . Snowball convenience sampling was used as members of the WVPBRN were encouraged to complete the survey and share with colleagues within their health systems .
The previously scheduled release of the annual survey coincided with the arrival of COVID-19 to parts of WV , therefore 10
FIGURE 1 : Timeline of Events Related to COVID-19 in West Virginia and Survey Details
The survey was administered through two recruitment strategies . The annual CORE Survey was open from March 25 to May 1 , 2020 , and run through REDCap , a secure web-based application for building and managing online surveys and databases . The link to the survey was distributed via email , the WVCTSI ’ s newsletters , and WVPBRN ’ s social media accounts . The survey was also shared through the Zoom teleconferencing platform to recruit during two WV Project ECHO sessions focusing on COVID-19 in April 2020 .
West Virginia Medical Journal • March 2023 • 25