A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Rural Primary Healthcare Professionals' Capacity for Disaster Health Management Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Rural areas face additional challenges in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. This study aimed to understand how rural primary healthcare professionals (PHCPs) perceive their roles, involvement, and capacity in disaster health management. Methods: For this qualitative descriptive research, semi-structured interviews were carried out with convenience and purposive samples of rural PHCPs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open, axial, and selective coding were employed to analyse the data inductively. Results: Five interviews were conducted before the pandemic, and ten interviews were conducted during the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The themes identified were similar between the two periods. Rural PHCPs were underutilised due to a lack of awareness of their capacity and a lack of infrastructure and support for greater involvement. Conclusions: Rural PHCPs can be better integrated and supported in readiness for a whole-system response to future disasters. This study recommends empowering PHCPs in disaster management to promote the health and continuity of care in rural communities.