What are the most common domains of the core competencies of disaster nursing? A scoping review

Effects of social support on mental health outcomes in disasters: A cross-sectional study

This study examined the mediating effects of social support on the association between disaster distress and mental health outcomes. We analyzed the data of 1006 participants with either direct or indirect exposure to one or more disasters. Disaster distress, social support, depression, and anxiety were significantly correlated. Multiple regression and mediation analyses with bootstrapping showed that social support was a partial mediator between disaster distress and depression, and between disaster distress and trait anxiety. It was a complete mediator between disaster distress and state anxiety. The results suggest that enhancing social support may reduce the negative effects of disaster distress on depression and anxiety. Therefore, comprehensive interventions incorporating disaster distress management and enhanced social support are essential in national disaster management policies and psychiatric and mental health nursing services for individuals who have experienced disasters.

Islamic-based Disaster Response Competencies: Perceptions, Roles and Barriers Perceived by Nurses in Aceh, Indonesia

Introduction:

Indonesia, being a part of the Pacific “ring of fire,” is prone to disasters. Several disasters occurred from 2004 to 2019, which resulted in the loss of many lives. These disasters impacted the physical, psychological, psychosocial, and spiritual conditions of survivors. Nurses are the frontline care providers who need adequate competencies to respond to disasters.

Objective:

This study aimed to explore the nurses’ perception of disaster, roles, barriers, and Islamic-based nurses’ competencies in managing psychological, psychosocial, and spiritual problems due to disasters in hospital settings.

Methods:

This is a qualitative study conducted in three large referral hospitals in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Focus group discussion was conducted on 24 nurses from three hospitals using the discussion guide consisting of five open-ended questions. The data was analyzed through inductive content analysis.

Results:

The study found four themes of Islamic nurses’ competencies in disaster response: 1) perception about the disaster is influenced by religiosity, belief, and values, 2) communication skills, 3) nurses’ roles in disaster response consisted of disaster competencies (the use of Islamic values in managing patients’ conditions, and family engagement, 4) competency barriers consisted of inadequate training, insufficient Islamic-based services, and inadequate involvement of policymakers. This study explored Islamic nurses’ competencies in disaster response related perceptions about the disaster, nurses’ roles, and barriers. The limitation and future of the study were also discussed.

Conclusion:

Perceptions, roles, and barriers in disaster response might influence the development of the Islamic-based nurses’ competencies in care delivery.

Factors Affecting the Decontamination Process in Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Introduction

Hospitals face various types of disasters that require either decontamination or disinfection interventions. These contaminants can be chemical, biological, radioactive, or infectious, such as COVID-19. Further, there are few studies in the literature on factors affecting decontamination in hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

Approximately 157 healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, and other specialists) participated in this study. Principle component analysis was used to explore three factors in Saudi Arabia that affect the ability of healthcare providers to decontaminate appropriately.

Results

Three factors were extracted: (1) having adequate skills to perform decontamination, (2) being adequately prepared for decontamination before a disaster occurs, and (3) organizational barriers to decontamination. There was a positive correlation between the skills and preparedness and a negative correlation between barriers and both skills and preparedness.

Discussion

It is essential to prepare for decontamination during disasters more effectively and to ensure that all healthcare providers have the requisite skills. Moreover, barriers to decontamination must be investigated thoroughly to improve implementation.

Cohort research analysis of disaster experience, preparedness, and competency-based training among nurses

Introduction

It is expected that in unforeseen situations, nurses will provide appropriate medical interventions, using their expertise and skills to reduce the risks associated with the consequences of disasters. Consequently, it is crucial that they are properly prepared to respond to such difficult circumstances. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the basic competences of nurses in disasters.

Materials and methods

The survey was directed to 468 nurses from all medical centres in Lublin. IBM SPSS Statistics version 23 was used for statistical analyses, frequency analysis, basic descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. The classical statistical significance level was adopted as α = 0.05.

Results

Based on the logistic regression analysis, it was found that work experience, workplace preparedness, as well as training and experience in disaster response are important predictors of preparedness.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that the nurses' core competencies for these incidents can be improved through education and training programmes which increase their preparedness for disasters. Nurses are among the most important groups of healthcare professionals facing a disaster and should be involved in all phases of disaster management, such as risk assessment and pre-disaster planning, response during crisis situations and risks’ mitigation throughout the reconstruction period.

Challenges for Nurses in Disaster Management: A Scoping Review

To reduce the impact of disasters, healthcare providers, especially nurses, need to be prepared to respond immediately. However, nurses face several challenges in all phases of disaster management. The findings of a literature review based on scoping approaches, which utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, indicated that the major barriers facing nurses include the following: (1) disaster nursing is a new specialty; (2) inadequate level of preparedness; (3) poor formal education; (4) lack of research; (5) ethical and legal issues; and (6) issues related to nurses’ roles in disasters. Educators, researchers, and stakeholders need to make efforts to tackle these issues and improve disaster nursing.

Does Tabletop Exercise Enhance Knowledge and Attitude in Preparing Disaster Drills?

Background: Tabletop Exercise (TTE) is a specific learning method through a simulation designed to test the competency and the ability of a group to respond to disasters. Using the map of disaster events is considered effective to prepare disaster drills rather than other methods. TTE method has been carried out annually to train the students, however no studies reported the effect of this method.Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of TTE on enhancing nursing students’ knowledge and attitude in a disaster drill. Methods: This study was conducted with one-group pre and post-test of a quasi-experimental design. The total samplings were 80 nursing students of the fourth year who undertook the disaster nursing course. The intervention of the study was started using the scenario of an earthquake disaster simulation using TTE media divided into four groups. The instruments consisted of two questionnaires: Students’ Knowledge on Tabletop Exercise (SKTE), and Students' Attitude on Tabletop Exercise (SATE) which were tested for their validity and reliability. The data were analyzed using a dependent paired t-test. Results: The study showed that TTE had a positive effect in enhancing the knowledge (p=0.001) and the attitude of nursing students in disaster drills (p=0.001) (df=79). Conclusion: TTE intervention was an effective direct learning method to improve students’ competencies in disaster response. TTE might be considered as a learning method in improving students' competencies in preparing disaster drills.

Nurses on the Frontline against the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Review

COVID-19 has affected the life and health of more than 1 million people across the world. This overwhelms many countries' healthcare systems, and, of course, affects healthcare providers such as nurses fighting on the frontlines to safeguard the lives of everyone affected. Exploring the issues that nurses face during their battle will help support them and develop protocols and plans to improve their preparedness. Thus, this integrative review will explore the issues facing nurses during their response to the COVID-19 crisis. The major issues facing nurses in this situation are the critical shortage of nurses, beds, and medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and, as reviews indicate, psychological changes and fears of infection among nursing staff. The implications of these findings might help to provide support and identify the needs of nurses in all affected countries to ensure that they can work and respond to this crisis with more confidence. Moreover, this will help enhance preparedness for pandemics and consider issues when drawing up crisis plans. The recommendation is to support the nurses, since they are a critical line of defense. Indeed, more research must be conducted in the field of pandemics regarding nursing.

Correlations between emergency code awareness and disaster nursing competencies among clinical nurses: A cross-sectional study

AIMS

This study identified clinical nurses' awareness of emergency codes and disaster nursing competencies and investigated the relationships between these variables.

BACKGROUND

Nurses are on the front lines of disaster and emergency response; however, they report not feeling confident about their disaster preparedness.

METHODS

Participants included 234 nurses working at a general hospital in Korea. Emergency code awareness was measured by recognition of and self-confidence in eight emergency codes, and disaster nursing competencies were measured using the Disaster Nursing Preparedness Response Competency Scale. Data were collected from 17 to 23 October 2019.

RESULTS

The recognition rate of emergency codes was 87.4%, whereas the level of self-confidence was 3.30 out of 5. Nurses scored 2.98 out of 5 on disaster preparedness competencies and 3.37 out of 5 on disaster response competencies. Emergency code recognition was positively correlated with self-confidence and disaster nursing competencies (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Higher recognition of emergency codes among clinical nurses was associated with higher self-confidence and disaster nursing competencies. Further studies need to develop strategies to improve nurses' awareness and confidence concerning emergency codes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers should pay attention to provide more opportunities for disaster education to improve nurses' self-confidence and disaster nursing competencies.

Quality management in humanitarian operations and disaster relief management: a review and future research directions

Quality management has been widely discussed in the literature, and recent special issues on humanitarian supply chains and relief operations have emphasized the increasing importance of quality management in this key emerging area. In this paper, we provide an extensive literature review in the field of quality management in humanitarian operations and disaster relief management. Our comprehensive review, comprising 61 articles published from 2009 to 2018, leads to the identification of enablers (e.g., transparency, policy framework), challenges (e.g., financial services, identity protection), and theory development approaches, as well as numerous research gaps that must be addressed.

Common Domains of Core Competencies for Hospital Health Care Providers in Armed Conflict Zones: A Systematic Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

High rates of mortality and morbidity result from disasters of all types, including armed conflicts. Overwhelming numbers of casualties with a myriad of illnesses and patterns of injuries are common in armed conflicts, leading to unpredictable workloads for hospital health care providers (HCPs). Identifying domains of hospital HCPs' core competency for armed conflicts is essential to inform standards of care, educational requirements, and to facilitate the translation of knowledge into safe and quality care.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to identify the common domains of core competencies among HCPs working in hospitals in armed conflict areas.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute framework. The review considered primary research and peer-reviewed literature from the following databases: Ovid Medline, Ovid EmCare, Embase, and CINAHL, as well as the reference lists of articles identified for full-text review. Eligibility criteria were outlined a priori to guide the literature selection.

RESULTS

Four articles met the inclusion criteria. The studies were conducted in different countries and were published from 2011 through 2017. The methods included three surveys and one Delphi study.

CONCLUSION

This review maps the scope of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required by HCPs who are practicing in hospitals in areas of major armed conflict. Incorporation of identified core competency domains can improve the future planning, education, and training, and may enhance the HCPs' response in armed conflicts.

Nontechnical Competency Framework for Health Professionals in All-Hazard Emergency Environment: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

To summarize characteristics and commonalities of non-technical competency frameworks for health professionals in emergency and disaster.

METHODS

An electronic literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, ERIC, Scopus, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar to identify original English-language articles related to development, evaluation or application of the nontechnical competency frameworks. Reviewers assessed identified articles for exclusion/inclusion criteria and abstracted data on study design, framework characteristics, and reliability/validity evidence.

RESULTS

Of the 9627 abstracts screened, 65 frameworks were identified from 94 studies that were eligible for result extraction. Sixty (63.8%) studies concentrated on clinical settings. Common scenarios of the studies were acute critical events in hospitals (44;46.8%) and nonspecified disasters (39;41.5%). Most of the participants (76; 80.9%) were clinical practitioners, and participants in 36 (38.3%) studies were multispecialty. Thirty-three (50.8%) and 42 (64.6%) frameworks had not reported evidence on reliability and validity, respectively. Fourteen of the most commonly involved domains were identified from the frameworks.

CONCLUSIONS

Nontechnical competency frameworks applied to multidisciplinary emergency health professionals are heterogeneous in construct and application. A fundamental framework with standardized terminology for the articulation of competency should be developed and validated so as to be accepted and adapted universally by health professionals in all-hazard emergency environment.

The impact of mass casualty incidents on intensive care units

OBJECTIVES

Mass casualty incidents occur worldwide and have the capacity to overwhelm local healthcare facilities. There has been much research into how these events are managed in the prehospital environment and in the emergency department. However, there is a paucity in research addressing the impact that mass casualty incidents have on adult intensive care units. This review seeks to identify what literature is available that addresses the impact that mass casualty incidents have on intensive care units.

REVIEW METHOD USED

Integrative Review Data sources: Electronic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus.

REVIEW METHODS

Electronic databases were searched using terms such as "Intensive Care Unit" OR "Intensive Care" OR "Critical Care" OR "ICU" AND "Mass Casualty Incidents" OR "MCI" OR "Mass Casualty Event" OR "Mass Casualty Management" OR "Disaster". Articles that were published in the preceding 10 years in English as case studies or addressing real world events were included. Editorials, theoretical papers and research involving paediatrics were excluded from the results.

RESULTS

Seven articles met the search criteria. Results identified four key areas in ICU that were impacted by mass casualty incidents. These areas include the impact on facilities, on resources, on staff and of training on the management of mass casualty incidents.

CONCLUSIONS

This review has demonstrated a paucity in research and reporting practices on the impact that mass casualty incidents have on intensive care units. The returned articles have identified four areas that were seen as influencing management of real-world mass casualty incidents. By increasing reporting and research into factors that impact mass casualty incident management in intensive care units, policy and training can be enhanced to ensure better preparedness for future incidents.

Expectations of survivors towards disaster nurses in Indonesia: A qualitative study

Objective

This study aims to explore the expectations of survivors towards disaster nurses.

Methods

The study used qualitative content analysis. Data were collected in 2017 through three focus group discussions with 21 survivors and in-depth interviews with three community leaders; the respondents had experienced one of the following events: a) an earthquake in Padang 2009, b) a volcanic eruption in Yogyakarta 2010, and c) flooding in Jakarta 2014.

Results

Four themes represented survivors' expectations of what nurses can do in responding to a disaster, including: a) provision of direct nursing care, b) provision of information of health service access, c) provision of resources through cross-sector coordination, and d) disaster preparedness activities for the community.

Conclusions

This study suggests the importance of disaster nurses having the competency to update information regarding healthcare access, particularly the utilization of health insurance and providing culturally competent care to the survivors. Disaster nurses are also expected to be able to train the community and families about preparedness-related activities. Besides, these disaster nurses should improve their competency in disaster risk reduction. More broadly, such nurses should have the ability to advocate and coordinate with the local government and other stakeholders regarding access to healthcare services and continuous rapid assessment, so that survivors receive immediate and appropriate treatment.

A Bibliometric Profile of Disaster Medicine Research from 2008 to 2017: A Scientometric Analysis

ABSTRACTThis study analyzed and assessed publication trends in articles on "disaster medicine," using scientometric analysis. Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) of Thomson Reuters on March 27, 2017. A total of 564 publications on disaster medicine were identified. There was a mild increase in the number of articles on disaster medicine from 2008 (n=55) to 2016 (n=83). Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness published the most articles, the majority of articles were published in the United States, and the leading institute was Tohoku University. F. Della Corte, M. D. Christian, and P. L. Ingrassia were the top authors on the topic, and the field of public health generated the most publications. Terms analysis indicated that emergency medicine, public health, disaster preparedness, natural disasters, medicine, and management were the research hotspots, whereas Hurricane Katrina, mechanical ventilation, occupational medicine, intensive care, and European journals represented the frontiers of disaster medicine research. Overall, our analysis revealed that disaster medicine studies are closely related to other medical fields and provides researchers and policy-makers in this area with new insight into the hotspots and dynamic directions. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:165-172).

Nurses' disaster preparedness and core competencies in Turkey: a descriptive correlational design

AIM

This descriptive correlational study aimed to identify nurses' perceptions of their own disaster preparedness and core competencies.

BACKGROUND

As disasters have increased in number and severity in recent years, it is crucial that nurses should be appropriately prepared. There is still limited research on this issue in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION

With changes in disaster policies in the last decade, the need to improve the disaster core competencies of nurses has also increased.

METHODS

A sample of 406 nurses selected with convenience sampling and working in an 1816-bed capacity university hospital was included in this descriptive correlational study. A single-item visual scale and the 45-item Nurses Perceptions of Disaster Core Competencies Scale were used.

RESULTS

'Technical Skills' scored highest across the subscales of the scale, and 'Critical Thinking Skills' scored lowest. When the total and subscale scores were compared by age group, professional experience, working position and prior disaster experience, there were statistically significant differences.

CONCLUSIONS

The Turkish nurses had different levels of disaster core competencies and considered themselves more competent in some areas of disaster preparedness than in others. There are clearly gaps to be filled in disaster preparedness and core competencies in Turkish nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND POLICY

Nurse managers should advocate for increasing disaster preparedness for all nurses. This could be accomplished by offering formal training in disaster preparedness and/or by scheduling regular disaster drills, perhaps using a mix of tabletop exercises with occasional hospital-wide disaster scenarios. In addition, managers should regularly evaluate nurses' disaster core competencies to achieve effective preparation plans and training.

Disaster Nursing Knowledge and Competencies Among Nursing University Students Participated in Relief Activities Following the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes

Objective

This study examined disaster nursing knowledge and competencies among university nursing students who participated in relief activities following the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.

Methods

Participants were university nursing students involved in disaster relief activities. Of the 260 individuals to whom a self-report questionnaire was distributed at nursing universities and hospitals located in Kyushu, southwestern Japan, 201 participants returned the questionnaires by mail (response rate 77.3%), of which 108 questionnaires were complete (valid response rate 41.5%). Questions involved experiences related to their volunteer activities, their motive for volunteering, type of relief activities performed, and use of disaster nursing knowledge and competencies.

Results

We identified four categories of disaster nursing competencies: “understanding and implementation of assistance to victims in collaboration with other members of the disaster response team,” “understanding the natural disaster’s influence on victims,” “ethical practice in a disaster recovery area,” and “understanding of their role within the disaster relief organization.” Those who had completed a disaster nursing program had superior measures of performance across all four competencies compared with those who had not yet completed the program.

Conclusions

Four domains of disaster nursing knowledge and competencies used by university nursing students during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake relief activities were identified. Those who had completed a disaster nursing program had higher competencies than were those who were either currently or not yet enrolled in it.