factors affecting the preparedness of hospital emergency department staff in responding to hazardous materials and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents

Aims: hazardous materials and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents can occur randomly or intentionally. these events are often unpredictable and invisible, leading to fear, anxiety, and disruption in healthcare services within the community. the researcher aimed to conduct a comprehensive and targeted study to identify the factors influencing the preparedness of hospital emergency department staff for hazardous materials and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents.information & methods: this review study was sourced from scopus, pubmed, cochrane library, web of science, proquest, and magiran databases from january 1, 2005, to april 1, 2024. the search components were preparedness, emergency departments, hazardous materials incidents, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents. after excluding all articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, the full texts of 34 articles that met the criteria were obtained and reviewed.findings: following the review and several readings with content analysis, meaningful units related to the research questions were categorized into 24 subcategories. these subcategories were then grouped into nine categories based on their similarities and differences: resources, training and exercises, contamination control and treatment, coordination, evaluation and planning, categorization and guidelines, casualty management, communications and information systems, and hospital management structure. conclusion: emergency department staff’s preparedness to respond to hazardous materials and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents is limited. each of the nine identified categories and their subcategories requires careful implementation and upgrading in alignment.