Disaster nursing: A descriptive survey of Australian undergraduate nursing curricula

A study on the types of disaster awareness in nursing students: Q methodology

BACKGROUND

Research for the development of nursing education strategies to enhance the competency of the nursing students on disaster safety are needed. This study aimed to identify the types of perceptions on disaster safety in nursing students, and to analyze and describe the characteristics of each type of disaster safety perception of nursing students in South Korea.

METHODS

An exploratory study design applying Q methodology, a research method designed to study subjectivity. Participants were 30 nursing students in their 20s who are living in C city. This P-set was selected to best reveal the disaster safety awareness of nursing students. Participants provided their subjective viewpoints by sorting 30 statements into a grid. Analyses involved correlation and factor analysis. The study was carried out from June to December, 2020.

RESULTS

In this study, four types of disaster safety awareness of nursing students were uncovered. The characteristics of each type were confirmed as follows: Type 1 was national responsibility, type 2 was individual responsibility, type 3 was preparedness-oriented, and type 4 was education-oriented.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that the types of perceptions on disaster safety in Korean nursing students were national responsibility, individual responsibility, preparedness-oriented, and education-oriented. The findings from this study can be implied as fundamental data in nursing education of disaster safety.

Interprofessional disaster exercises for undergraduate nursing students: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this scoping review was to report on the planning and implementation of a disaster exercise for undergraduate nursing students, which included the participation of other health students, allied health students, or professionals, for the purpose of preparing them to respond to a disaster.

INTRODUCTION

Recently, the world has witnessed an increasing frequency of natural disasters, emergencies, and public health events. These events often adversely influence many individuals' health, and as such, require health professionals to be prepared and ready to effectively respond. Health students, including nursing, medical, and allied health professionals, need to be provided with opportunities to learn about disasters and to practice responding to them within a team context. This scoping review examined the planning and implementation of disaster exercises that have conceptualized an interprofessional team approach inclusive of nursing students.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Quantitative studies, qualitative studies, mixed method studies, discussions, and text or opinion papers reporting a disaster simulation or drill, involving undergraduate nursing and other health students, allied health discipline students, practitioners, and non-health personnel were included. There was no limit on the publication period or languages.

METHODS

MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), ERIC (EBSCOhost), Embase (Ovid), Web of Science Core Collection, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health (Ovid), and PsycINFO (Ovid) were searched for relevant reports. Titles and abstracts and then full texts were screened independently by 2 reviewers. A data extraction tool developed specifically for this review was used to chart evidence pertaining to planning and implementing a disaster exercise, nursing students' roles, and measured outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 1429 titles were screened; 42 full texts were assessed against the eligibility criteria and 13 papers were selected for review. Nursing students had opportunities to practice performing a single role or a combined role as observers, triage nurses, direct care providers, or assisting health professionals, depending on their year level. Nursing students' roles were sometimes not well identified and not clearly communicated to them prior to the exercise, resulting in ambiguous expectations for some participants. By involving multiple health students and professionals, the nursing students had the opportunity to participate and perform tasks within their scope of practice while observing the roles of other disciplines. In a few studies, participants teamed up to triage, assess, and provide care for simulated patients. A variety of outcomes were categorized, such as students' knowledge, skills, attitudes, satisfaction with the learning experience, self-confidence, communication, collaboration, readiness for a disaster event, critical decision-making, and empathy. Important lessons regarding decision-making preparations (such as planning, coordinating, and implementing a disaster exercise), scheduling and sequencing for optimal times to ensure participating disciplines can attend, identification and effective communication of students' roles, plus ensuring manageable group sizes will optimize a more authentic learning opportunity for all involved in disaster exercises.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the exercises were perceived as a positive learning opportunity for students to understand what is required in disaster responses and to practice their skills. Adequate preparation for a disaster exercise is crucial for a successful experience and should prepare nursing students and other participants for the roles they need to fulfill.

SUPPLEMENTAL DIGITAL CONTENT

A Vietnamese-language version of the abstract of this review is available as Supplemental Digital Content http://links.lww.com/SRX/A24 .

Exploration of the primary needs of health care services for earthquake victims in the west of Iran

BACKGROUND

Natural disasters always have significant effects on social infrastructures, living conditions, and health care systems. This study aims to explain the needs of victims in the west of Iran for primary health care services.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This thematic content analysis and qualitative study was done from September 2020 to June 2021 in the west of Iran. Participants were selected using purposive sampling method. The data were extracted through semi-structured interviews with 17 earthquake victims and then examined through thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

By analyzing and coding the data, the primary needs of victims post an earthquake in the west of Iran were classified into four main categories) health services, mental health, social health, and health management (and 14 subcategories.

CONCLUSION

Regarding the primary needs (health services, mental health, social health, and health management), establishing a headquarters to meet the immediate and special health care needs seems to be required. It was recommended to create institutions for monitoring and supporting the health care needs at the level of the community and even policymaking, as well as guiding earthquake-stricken areas such as the eco-village.

Nursing skills required across natural and man-made disasters: A scoping review

AIMS

To map the nursing skills required for different types of disasters.

DESIGN

This was a scoping review of research studies conducted between July and August 2021. We conducted a systematic literature search of nine electronic databases from inception till July 2021, and an updated search was done in April 2022. This review is based on the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley (2005), which was further refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute.

DATA SOURCES

A range of electronic databases was searched systematically, including CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI and Ichushi-Web. Articles published in Chinese, English and Japanese were selected for the review.

REVIEW METHODS

The PCC model was used to frame the inclusion criteria. Studies were screened, appraised and extracted by two reviewers, and the study findings were narratively synthesized.

RESULTS

We identified nursing skills for five types of natural disasters including (1) earthquakes, (2) typhoons, (3) tsunamis, (4) marine disasters and (5) infectious diseases and three man-made disasters: (1) radiation disasters, (2) bioterrorism and (3) war. Among these, there are five types of common professional skills nurses are required to possess including casualty triage, observation and monitoring, basic first aid techniques, psychological care and communication skills. In addition, it was shown that different disasters require different specific professional skills.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review explored the disaster nursing skills required for eight types of disasters and provides evidence for future education and training. Further research is needed to build more accurate scenario-based simulation training programs to provide more insights into future disaster precision nursing.

IMPACT

This scoping review provides evidence for future education and training in disaster nursing to improve nurses' knowledge and competencies in dealing with the different types of disaster situations.

Challenges and Barriers of Humanitarian Hygiene Items Management in Recent Disasters in Iran

OBJECTIVE

The provision and continuation of the basic needs of affected communities, including water, food, and shelter remain the most important priorities in responding to disasters. In this regard, this study sought to investigate the management challenges of humanitarian hygiene items in recent disasters in Iran.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted through a semi-structured interview. Nineteen participants with different experiences, roles, and responsibilities in the recent disaster of Iran and experiences of various events in the national and international arenas were included in the study. A thematic analysis was used, and an initial conceptual framework was defined based on the study aim. The relationship between the components was compared and interpreted in this framework and the main and subthemes were extracted accordingly.

RESULTS

Six main themes and 21 subthemes were extracted based on the results. The main challenges in recent disasters were the lack of protocols and standard guidelines, inappropriate selection of items in each hygiene kit, the lack of standard distribution of hygiene kits, and the lack of attention to the affected population's culture.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, it is necessary to define a system for preparation, supply, storage, and timely distribution of hygiene. Finally, it is suggested that an organization should be appointed for this purpose.

Factors Affecting the Level of Perceived Competence in Disaster Preparedness among Nurses Based on their Personal and Work-related Characteristics: An Explanatory Study

Background

The disaster situations call upon the effective and speedy response from the nurses. The link to self-perceived competence in disaster preparedness remains unclear, although there is strong support for competence in nursing practice to ensure safe patient care.

Aims

The study aims to evaluate the self-perceived competence and familiarity of nurses at personal and professional levels concerning disaster preparedness. Cross-sectional exploratory design was employed. A sample of 350 nurses from five government hospitals in Medina was surveyed using an emergency preparedness information questionnaire.

Patients and Methods

IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows, Version 21.0, was used for analyzing the data.

Results

Nurses perceived inadequate preparation for emergencies. The unit area had no impact on their self-perceived competence and familiarity.

Conclusions

Female nurses, non-Saudi staff, and years of work experience were perceived to increase nurse competence in disaster preparedness. The managers can create activities to enable nurses to learn and view their disaster preparedness concerns.

Nurses' knowledge, skills and preparedness for disaster management of a Megapolis: Implications for nursing disaster education

As frontline health caregivers, nurses must be adequately prepared to respond effectively to disasters. Therefore, it is necessary to assess nurses' disaster management capacity to know their preparedness levels, especially for a densely populated Megapolis like Dhaka, which is at high risk of disasters. Thus, the study aimed to examine Dhaka city nurses' knowledge, skills, preparedness (KSP) for disasters and explore the factors influencing the KSP levels. A self-explanatory descriptive survey questionnaire was developed adopting the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET) in Bangla language for quantitative data collection. Following multistage sampling, 410 nurses' data were collected from eight hospitals in Dhaka city. The nurses in Dhaka city had moderate levels of knowledge, skills, and preparedness for disaster management, reflecting that they need more development to deal with disasters effectively. Moreover, multiple linear regression analyses indicate that nurses' disaster knowledge, skills, and preparedness scores were significantly positively associated with training on disaster management (p < 0.001) and disaster response experience (p < 0.001). In addition, one-half of the respondents demanded more drills and exercises on disaster management in their workplaces to enhance their disaster skills and preparedness. Furthermore, disaster education should be incorporated into the nursing curriculum, which would play a seminal role in preparing them for future disaster management.

Interprofessional team coordination in disaster exercises for undergraduate nursing students: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review will map the literature related to interprofessional learning among undergraduate nursing, and other health and allied health students and professionals to prevent, prepare, or respond to a simulated disaster event.

INTRODUCTION

The frequency of disasters has been increasing globally. Nurses constitute the largest proportion of the health workforce and play an important role in disaster response, together with other health and allied health professionals. The development and implementation of disaster exercises that are inclusive of nursing, as well as other health, and allied health students or professionals will benefit students' learning around disaster response. Therefore, it is timely to conduct a review of disaster exercises that have conceptualized and implemented an interprofessional team approach inclusive of nursing students.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Publications of quantitative, qualitative, mixed method studies, discussions, text, or opinion reporting a disaster simulation or drill involving nursing and other health, allied health discipline students, or practitioners will be included. There is no limit on the publication period or languages. All types of natural and human-induced disasters will be considered.

METHODS

The search will be conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, Embase, Web of Science, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health, and PsycINFO. Two reviewers will screen titles and abstracts for potential papers, and the full texts will be examined against eligibility criteria. Data will be extracted using the tool developed for this review. Nursing roles and how nursing students have collaborated with other team members will be discussed.

Nursing Students' Willingness and Confidence to Volunteer in a Pandemic

Introduction

The current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic may result in shortages of health care workers in some areas of the health care system. With adequate support, nursing students could potentially play a role in easing health worker shortages.

Objective

To describe and explore nursing students' willingness and confidence to contribute to the health care workforce during a pandemic.

Methods

A mixed-methods descriptive survey design was used to explore the perspectives of second-year nursing students at an Australian University. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using directed content analysis.

Results

A total of 280 nursing students were invited to complete the survey with a response rate of 32%. The majority of the participants showed moderate to high levels of willingness to volunteer in a pandemic. Of the participants, 50% reported slight confidence that their knowledge and skills would assist them during their volunteering. Reasons that influenced students' willingness to volunteer included perception of lack of personal protective equipment, need for incentives, fear of transmitting infection to family members, barriers to volunteering, inadequate knowledge and skills to handle a pandemic situation, study and clinical placement arrangements, and disease hazardousness.

Conclusion

Most nursing students have a level of willingness to volunteer but low confidence that their knowledge and skills would assist them while volunteering in pandemic situations. Universities and health care organizations can benefit from these findings by developing strategies to increase students' willingness to volunteer, as well as their confidence in their knowledge and skills.

Health care students' willingness to work during disasters in Turkey

INTRODUCTION

Disasters place a substantial burden on the health care workforce; as such, it is important to understand whether members of the health care workforce might be willing to work during disasters. The aim of this study is to explore the willingness of health care students in nursing, emergency and disaster management (EDM) departments to work during disasters and to examine sociodemographic and disaster-related factors that affect their willingness to work during disasters.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 839 students enrolled in a Turkish University Faculty of Health Science (619 nursing students and 220 EDM students). Chi-square tests and binary logistic regressions were used to determine predictors of willingness to respond to disasters.

RESULTS

The majority of students (62.2%) were willing to work during disasters; however, approximately 31.2% of students were uncertain, and 6.7% were unwilling to work during disasters. Approximately 85.0% of EDM students and 54.0% of nursing students were willing to work during disasters. Overall, participants were more willing to work during earthquake (71.1%) and traffic accident disasters (66.2%) but were less willing to work during contagious disease (35.1%) and gas leak disasters (33.5%). Students' willingness to work during disasters was predicted by program type, educational level and membership in a disaster-related nongovernmental organization.

CONCLUSION

The majority of students were willing to work during disasters, although these numbers varied according to program and disaster types. These findings have significant implications for disaster education programs and interventions.

Identification of Patterns and Influential Factors on Civil Protection Personnel Opinions and Views on Different Aspects of Flood Risk Management: The Case of Greece

The views and perceptions of the civil protection community have a central position in any risk management process or initiative, and are crucial to its success. However, knowledge of the views and perceptions of officials, and what affects them remains limited in the current literature. This work uses questionnaires to explore the views of civil protection personnel in Greece on different elements of flood risk management and identify factors that influence them. Results provide a basic understanding of officials’ views, indicating certain shortcomings in various sectors and dissatisfaction in several aspects of everyday practice. Interestingly, responses of participants to perception- and knowledge-related questions show a pattern, relating to respondents’ attributes and characteristics, such as experience, age, qualifications, and others. On the contrary, their views on everyday practice issues of flood risk management are associated with the type of position they have in the civil protection community. The findings contribute to the overall effort to improve the understanding of the characteristics of civil protection organizations across Europe, as a means to enhance cooperation.

An Exploration of Motivation for Disaster Engagement and Its Related Factors among Undergraduate Nursing Students in Taiwan

The purpose of the study was to explore the levels of and relationships between disaster nursing competence, anticipatory disaster stress, and the motivation for disaster engagement among undergraduate nursing students in Taiwan. A cross-sectional research design was applied. Using convenience sampling, 90 nursing students participated with an 86.54% response rate. The Disaster Core Competencies Questionnaire, Anticipatory Disaster Stress Questionnaire, and Motivation for Disaster Engagement Questionnaire were used to collect data. The Pearson correlation and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Results showed that students' level of disaster nursing competence was low, anticipatory disaster stress was not high, and motivation for disaster engagement was high. Motivation for disaster engagement was positively correlated with anticipatory disaster stress. Students who were more willing to participate in disaster management had a higher level of anticipatory disaster stress and motivation for disaster engagement. It is suggested that healthcare institutions and schools should work together to design disaster education plans using innovative teaching/learning strategies to increase students' willingness and motivation for disaster engagement.

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.

Call to Action: The Case for Advancing Disaster Nursing Education in the United States

PURPOSE

Climate change, human conflict, and emerging infectious diseases are inexorable actors in our rapidly evolving healthcare landscape that are triggering an ever-increasing number of disaster events. A global nursing workforce is needed that possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond to any disaster or large-scale public health emergency in a timely and appropriate manner. The purpose of this article is to articulate a compelling mandate for the advancement of disaster nursing education within the United States with clear action steps in order to contribute to the achievement of this vision.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A national panel of invited disaster nursing experts was convened through a series of monthly semistructured conference calls to work collectively towards the achievement of a national agenda for the future of disaster nursing education.

FINDINGS

National nursing education experts have developed consensus recommendations for the advancement of disaster nursing education in the United States. This article proposes next steps and action items to achieve the desired vision of national nurse readiness.

CONCLUSIONS

Novel action steps for expanding disaster educational opportunities across the continuum of nursing are proposed in response to the current compelling need to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of disasters on human health. U.S. educational institutions and health and human service organizations that employ nurses must commit to increasing access to a variety of quality disaster-related educational programs for nurses and nurse leaders.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Opportunities exist to strengthen disaster readiness and enhance national health security by expanding educational programming and training for nurses.

Japanese and Korean Nursing Students' Motivation for Joining Disaster Relief Activities as Nurses in the Future

The purpose of this study was to identify differences in motivation for joining disaster relief activities as a nurse in the future between Japanese and Korean nursing students. A descriptive 2-group comparative study design was used. The participants were 721 first- to fourth-year nursing students (Japanese, n = 324; Korean, n = 397). From June to September 2014, data were collected through a researcher-administered questionnaire and self-reported answers. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the χ test, and the t test.No significant difference was found between Japanese and Korean students in motivation to join domestic relief activities should a disaster occur in the area in which they lived. Compared with Korean students, Japanese students strongly agreed that it is necessary to carry out relief work across borders when disasters occur in foreign countries (p = .001). Meanwhile, Japanese students showed less motivation than Korean students to join relief activities in other domestic areas and foreign countries (p = .020).The results of this study suggest that the motivation of Japanese students to join disaster relief activities as nurses in the future should a disaster occur in other domestic areas and foreign countries needs to be increased. The results also suggest that undergraduate students should be well prepared for disasters through disaster nursing education, including practical training, disaster drills, and simulation.

Disaster preparedness among nurses: a systematic review of literature

AIM

This review explored peer-reviewed publications that measure nurses' preparedness for disaster response.

BACKGROUND

The increasing frequency of disasters worldwide necessitates nurses to adequately prepare to respond to disasters to mitigate the negative consequences of the event on the affected population. Despite growing initiatives to prepare nurses for any disasters, evidence suggests they are under prepared for disaster response.

METHODS

This is a systematic review of scientific articles conducted from 2006 to 2016 on nurses' preparedness for disasters. SCOPUS, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL and PsychINFO were the primary databases utilized for search of literature. Keywords used in this review were as follows: 'emergency', 'disaster', 'disaster preparedness', 'disaster competencies', 'disaster nursing', 'disaster role' and 'nurse'. Seventeen (17) articles were selected for this review.

FINDINGS

Factors that increase preparedness for disaster response include previous disaster response experience and disaster-related training. However, it is widely reported that nurses are insufficiently prepared and do not feel confident responding effectively to disasters.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this review contribute to a growing body of knowledge regarding disaster preparedness in nurses and have implications for academia, hospital administration and nursing educators. The findings of this review provide evidence that could be used by nurse educators and nurse administrators to better prepare nurses for disaster response.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

The findings from this review place an emphasis on hospitals to implement policies to address lack of preparedness among their employees. Furthermore, this review highlights the benefit of further research and provision of well-grounded disaster exercises that mimic actual events to enhance the preparedness of the nursing workforce.

Nursing in disasters: A review of existing models

BACKGROUND

Since nurses play an important role in responding to disasters, evaluating their knowledge on common patterns of disasters is a necessity. This study examined researches conducted using disaster nursing as well as the models adopted. It provides a critical analysis of the models available for disaster nursing.

METHODS

International electronic databases including Scopus, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), and Google Scholar were investigated with no limitation on type of articles, between 1st January 1980 and 31st January 2016. The search terms and strategy were as follows: (Disaster^∗ OR Emergenc^∗) AND (Model OR Theory OR Package OR Pattern) AND (Nursing OR Nurse^∗). They were applied for titles, abstracts and key words. This resulted in the generation of disaster nursing models.

RESULTS

Out of the 1983 publications initially identified, the final analysis was conducted on 8 full text articles. These studies presented seven models. These evinced a diverse set of models with regard to the domains and the target population.

CONCLUSIONS

Although, disaster nursing models will inform disaster risk reduction strategies, attempts to systematically do so are in preliminary phases. Further investigation is needed to develop a domestic nursing model in the event of disasters.

Senior Undergraduate Nursing Students' Perceptions of Disaster Preparedness: A Descriptive Study

OBJECTIVE

This descriptive study aimed to determine the disaster preparedness of a senior class of undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS

The study sample was composed of 73 undergraduate nursing school students from Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected by using a questionnaire developed by the researchers and were evaluated with descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

More than half (56.1%) of the students stated that the disaster competencies of nurses should include leadership, manager, and coordinator skills; 42.4% of them indicated the competencies of decision-maker, critical thinking, autonomy, and planning skills. Regarding education, 56.4% of the students considered their education on disaster nursing as "efficient"; however, 35.9% of them considered their education as "partly efficient" or "inefficient."

CONCLUSIONS

Many correct concepts related to the definition, features, competencies, and roles of disaster nurses were stated by students. However, low percentages and insufficient statements showed low preparedness for disasters. Curriculum development or redesign is necessary to include content and clinical experiences related to disasters. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;0:1-5).

A new scale for disaster nursing core competencies: Development and psychometric testing

BACKGROUND

All nurses must have core competencies in preparing for, responding to and recovering from a disaster. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as in many other countries, disaster nursing core competencies are not fully understood and lack reliable, validated tools. Thus, it is imperative to develop a scale for exploring disaster nursing core competencies, roles and barriers in the KSA.

OBJECTIVES

This study's objective is to develop a valid, reliable scale that identifies and explores core competencies of disaster nursing, nurses' roles in disaster management and barriers to developing disaster nursing in the KSA.

METHODS

This study developed a new scale testing its validity and reliability. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to develop and test psychometric properties of the new scale. The PCA used a purposive sample of nurses from emergency departments in two hospitals in the KSA. Participants rated 93 paper-based, self-report questionnaire items from 1 to 10 on a Likert scale. PCA using Varimax rotation was conducted to explore factors emerging from responses.

FINDINGS

The study's participants were 132 nurses (66% response rate). PCA of the 93 questionnaire items revealed 49 redundant items (which were deleted) and 3 factors with eigenvalues of >1. The remaining 44 items accounted for 77.3% of the total variance. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for all factors: 0.98 for Factor 1, 0.92 for Factor 2 and 0.86 for Factor 3.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided a validated, reliable scale for exploring nurses' core competencies, nurses' roles and barriers to developing disaster nursing in the KSA. The new scale has many implications, such as for improving education, planning and curricula.

A grounded theory study of 'turning into a strong nurse': Earthquake experiences and perspectives on disaster nursing education

BACKGROUND

While Asia has the dubious distinction of being the world's most natural disaster-prone area, disaster nursing education and training are sparse in many Asian countries, especially China where this study took place.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the earthquake disaster experiences of Chinese nurses and develop a substantive theory of earthquake disaster nursing that will help inform future development of disaster nursing education.

DESIGN

A qualitative study employing grounded theory, informed by symbolic interactionism.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Fifteen Chinese registered nurses from five hospitals in Jiangxi Province who undertook relief efforts after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.

METHODS

Data were collected in 2012-2013 in digitally-recorded, semi-structured, in-depth interviews and reflective field notes, and analyzed using Glaser's grounded theory method.

RESULTS

Participants were unprepared educationally and psychologically for their disaster work. Supporting the emergent theory of "working in that terrible environment", was the core category of "turning into a strong nurse", a process of three stages: "going to the disaster"; "immersing in the disaster"; and "trying to let disaster experiences fade away". The participants found themselves thrust in "terrible" scenes of destruction, experienced personal dangers and ethical dilemmas, and tried the best they could to help survivors, communities and themselves, with limited resources and confronting professional work.

CONCLUSIONS

Our rich findings confirm those of other studies in China and elsewhere, that attention must be paid to disaster education and training for nurses, as well as the mental health of nurses who work in disaster areas. Emergent theory helps to inform nurse educators, researchers, leaders and policy makers in China, and elsewhere in developing strategies to better prepare nurses for future disasters, and assist communities to prepare for and recover after earthquake disasters.

Cross-sectional survey of the disaster preparedness of nurses across the Asia-Pacific region

Healthcare workers who have received disaster preparedness education are more likely to report a greater understanding of disaster preparedness. However, research indicates that current nursing curricula do not adequately prepare nurses to respond to disasters. This is the first study to assess Asia-Pacific nurses' perceptions about their level of disaster knowledge, skills, and preparedness. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 757 hospital and community nurses in seven Asia-Pacific countries. Data were collected using the modified Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool. Participants were found to have overall low-to-moderate levels of disaster knowledge, skills and preparedness, wherein important gaps were identified. A majority of the variance in disaster preparedness scores was located at the level of the individual respondent, not linked to countries or institutions. Multilevel random effects modelling identified disaster experience and education as significant factors of positive perceptions of disaster knowledge, skills, and management. The first step toward disaster preparedness is to ensure frontline health workers are able to respond effectively to disaster events. The outcomes of this study have important policy and education implications.

Leadership Opportunities for Mental Health Nurses in the Field of Disaster Preparation, Response, and Recovery

Disasters occur internationally and are nondiscriminatory. The loss resulting from the destruction associated with disasters leads to the development of various levels of psychological trauma in survivors. Health teams provide assistance to survivors before, during and after disasters, and mental health nurses make an important contribution to these teams. However, the leadership role of mental health nurses in disaster situations has not been extensively explored in the literature. This article discusses aspects of mental health nursing leadership in preparation for, response to and recovery from disasters. In particular, recommendations are made to enhance the leadership of mental health nurses in the context of disasters.

Disaster nursing skills, knowledge and attitudes required in earthquake relief: Implications for nursing education

BACKGROUND

Globally, nurses becoming more aware of getting better prepared for disaster relief, but in China, disaster nursing knowledge, courses and research are still limited.

INTRODUCTION

China has long been prone to disasters, but disaster nursing education and training is in its infancy.

AIM

This study explored the skills, knowledge and attitudes required by registered nurses from across China who worked in the aftermath of three large earthquakes to try to determine future disaster nursing education requirements.

METHOD

The Questionnaire of Nurses' Disaster Nursing Skills at Earthquake Sites, assessing nursing skills, knowledge and attitudes, was distributed to 139 registered nurses in 38 hospitals in 13 provinces across China who had worked in one or more earthquake disaster zones. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data, and content analysis for qualitative data.

RESULTS

Eighty-nine questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 68.3%. No respondent had ever received specific disaster nursing training prior to their post-earthquake nursing. Skills most often used by respondents were haemostasis bandaging, fixation, manual handling, observation and monitoring, debridement and dressing, and mass casualty transportation. Respondents identified that the most important groups of skills required were cardiopulmonary resuscitation; haemostasis, bandaging, fixation, and manual handling; and emergency management. They emphasized the need for psychological care of victims as well as that of fellow health workers.

CONCLUSION

No respondent had ever received disaster nursing training prior to engagement at the earthquake disaster sites. All believed that there were important gaps in their knowledge and skills, and supported disaster nursing courses in the future.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

China urgently needs to develop disaster nursing courses, with the support of nurse leaders, educationalists and government, to implement training using an all hazards approach in accordance with international best practice and trainees' background clinical experience and knowledge.

Nursing Education for Disaster Preparedness and Response

Catastrophic mass casualty events (MCEs), such as pandemic influenza outbreaks, earthquakes, or large-scale terrorism-related events, quickly and suddenly yield thousands of victims whose needs overwhelm local and regional health care systems, personnel, and resources. Such conditions require deploying scarce resources in a manner that is different from the more common multiple casualty event. This article presents issues associated with providing nursing care under MCE circumstances of scarce resources and the educational needs of nurses to prepare them to effectively respond in these emergencies. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2015;46(x):xxx-xxx.

Disaster nursing in Iran: challenges and opportunities

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Disaster nursing was one of the first forms of nursing practice in Iran, and nurses have long served voluntarily in disasters. Despite their key role throughout a disaster management cycle, few studies have examined nurses' unique role in the management of disasters in this region of the world.

METHODS

An integrative narrative analysis of international research published in English and Persian studies between years 2000 and 2013 was conducted.

RESULTS

Analysis of the 32 articles yielded two major: organisational and managerial challenges, and challenges linked to the educational system. The most significant factors linked to the role of nurses in disasters included the lack of identification of those who educated nurses to serve in critical conditions, defects in university's educational systems and lack of in-service training for nurses with regard to disasters.

CONCLUSIONS

The integration of dedicate organisational units to educate human workforces, formalising a relationship between nursing staff and the disaster organisations, creative educational content, and effective economical systems to educate nurses may further enable disaster preparedness and response.

Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions about disaster preparedness and response in Istanbul, Turkey, and Miyazaki, Japan: a cross-sectional study

AIM

Although the awareness of disasters has increased among nurses, the concept of disaster preparedness and response has not been sufficiently explored with undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the perceptions of students regarding disaster preparedness and response that live in different earthquake-prone cities; Istanbul, Turkey and Miyazaki, Japan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study employing seven questions was conducted in a final group of 1053 nursing students from Istanbul, Turkey, and Miyazaki, Japan.

RESULTS

Most study respondents were female, aged 18-22 years, with a high proportion of second year students in both cities. Istanbul's students had more knowledge about disaster preparedness and response in relation to age and year of university, showing statistically significant differences. Istanbul's highest rated responses to disaster characteristics were on structural elements and injuries/deaths, while Miyazaki's was "unpredictable/sudden/disorganized". Respondents in Istanbul identified earthquakes as the disaster most likely to occur, while respondents in Miyazaki identified typhoon/hurricane. Study participants responded that they could provide caregiver roles during a disaster event rather than triage or managerial roles as disaster responders.

CONCLUSION

Disaster characteristics were not described by one third of the students. Of the two-thirds that were described, most were of events that were highly predictable because of their frequencies in the given areas. Universities need to target and then focus on high-risk factors in their areas and have disaster plans for students who can provide triage and managerial nursing roles as disaster responders.

What are the research needs for the field of disaster nursing? An international Delphi study

BACKGROUND

Internationally there is an increasing amount of peer-reviewed literature pertaining to disaster nursing. The literature includes personal anecdotes, reflections, and accounts of single case studies. Furthermore, issues such as the willingness of nurses to assist in disasters, the role of nurses in disasters, leadership, competencies, and educational preparedness for nurses have been the focus of the literature.

AIM

The aim of this research was to determine the international research priorities for disaster nursing.

METHOD

This research used a three-round Delphi technique. The first round used a face-to-face workshop to generate research statements with nursing members of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM). The second and third rounds included the ranking of statements on a 5-point Likert scale with nursing members of WADEM and the World Society of Disaster Nursing (WSDN). Statements that achieved a mean of four or greater were considered a priority and progressed.

RESULTS

Participants were from multiple countries. Research statements were generated in the areas of: education, training, and curriculum; psychosocial; strategy, relationship, and networking; and clinical practice. Psychosocial aspects of disaster nursing ranked the highest, with five statements appearing in the top ten research areas, followed by statements relating to: education, training, and curriculum; clinical practice; and finally, strategy, relationship, and networking.

CONCLUSIONS

Future disaster nursing research should focus on the area of psychosocial aspects of disaster nursing, in particular, both the psychosocial needs of a disaster-affected community and the psychosocial wellbeing of nurses who assist in disaster health activities.

Nursing educators' perceptions about disaster preparedness and response in Istanbul and Miyazaki

AIM

As healthcare professionals, nursing educators need to be prepared to manage and deliver care in what are often dangerous conditions. This research aims to determine and compare nursing educators' perceptions of disaster preparedness and response (DP&R) in Istanbul and Miyazaki.

METHODS

An 18 question descriptive questionnaire was used.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-four nursing educators representing two state university nursing schools in Istanbul, Turkey, and one state and two private universities in Miyazaki, Japan were enrolled. Educators had an average age of 40 years and had been educators for 1-15 years. Just over half of the participants had basic knowledge regarding DP&R with most of them considering taking special courses in the future. The majority considered "caregiver" as a role they could undertake in a disaster situation. The existence of major concerns and conflicts in disaster responses were low. The top ranked item was in the area of conflict between family and job responsibilities. Age and academic levels showed significant differences in basic knowledge on DP&R. Regardless of knowledge in this subject area, no statistical significance on personal preparedness or being a volunteer to disaster events was found.

CONCLUSION

Nursing educators were not thinking about what kinds of disasters occur in the areas where they currently teach and were underprepared to deal with disaster situations. To improve the perceptions of the nursing educators on DP&R, mass casualty care and disaster management skills need to be incorporated into formal education and training on disaster preparedness and workplace preparedness.

Beyond a clinical role: nurses were psychosocial supporters, coordinators and problem solvers in the Black Saturday and Victorian bushfires in 2009

AIM

This research explores the roles of nurses that participated in the Black Saturday and Victorian bushfires in February 2009, including aspects that influence nurses' roles, such as prior education, training and availability of resources.

BACKGROUND

It is acknowledged that nurses play an important role in disaster response and recovery. However, our understanding of nurses' roles is superficial and commonly based on descriptions of events in which specifics relating to the nurses' roles are embedded within other topics or issues. Similarly, aspects that support nurses in the disaster environment, including previous experience, education and the provision of resources, are not well understood.

METHOD

Single, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 11 volunteer nursing members of St John Ambulance Australia. These interviews were electronically recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using a well-recognised human science approach.

FINDINGS

The thematic analysis identified two broad themes: being prepared and having an expansive role. Participants indicated that they were educationally prepared and had adequate clinical experience. They outlined that they took many resources with them; however, they were used very little, as their role consisted of minimal clinical care. Additionally, nurses performed roles including a psychosocial supporter, a coordinator of care and resources, and problem solvers.

CONCLUSIONS

The nurses' role in providing health care during and/or following a disaster is more than a clinical care role. This understanding should be applied to the development of education programs, competencies and policies, with a particular focus on contextualising the education to the realities of possible disastrous scenarios that incorporates elements of coordination, problem solving and psychosocial care within a national framework. Additionally, this awareness education should be used to inform nurses about the realities of working in disaster environments.