Overall, it is important that the rapid assessment tool
can be applied after all types of disaster when the regular
health system is disrupted or overloaded. In general special
attention should be directed to vulnerable groups like
people with pre-existing health conditions, pregnant
women and vulnerable elderly. This is important because
these sensitive subpopulations concern people with
unique health needs. For example, it can be more difficult
for them to evacuate after a disaster or to obtain access to
the medical services they need [54,55]. Beyond the issues
of measurement we recommend the development of a
standardized questionnaire which can be used internationally.
This makes it possible to compare the data that is
unambiguous. Preferably one questionnaire will be developed
with different modules. This modules are sets of
questions that can be modified to the specificity of the
disaster situation such as type of disaster and country. A
basic set of questions can be developed for each disaster
situation, such as disaster involvement (e.g. passenger or
citizen) and the experiences and losses due to the disaster.
This standardized questionnaire makes it possible to
internationally compare the data that is unambiguous.
This review summarizes the existing questionnaires
which can serve as a starting point to develop a standardized
questionnaire.