A PRISMA-driven systematic review for determination of earthquake and nursing studies

Understanding the impact of natural disasters on children within fist hours and days after an event: A phenomenological study through the experience of nurses

BACKGROUND

Children are a particularly vulnerable group in natural disasters such as earthquakes, and although they represent a difficult group to research in such situations, there appears to be a lack of literature investigating children's experiences in the immediate post-earthquake period. Experienced nurses can shed light on children's experiences.

AIM

This study was conducted to examine the experiences of nurses caring for children affected by the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.

METHODS

This phenomenological study was conducted with nurses who provided care to children during the Kahramanmaraş earthquake between May and August 2023. The study sample consisted of 14 nurses selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through in-depth interviews by using the "Introductory Information Form" and "Semi-structured Interview Form" developed by the researchers. The interviews were subsequently analyzed using Colaizzi's method.

RESULTS

The results revealed five themes under two main themes. Under the main theme of nurse, there are subthemes of chaos, helplessness-incompetence, while under the main theme of child, there are subthemes of unresponsiveness, intertwined needs, empathy, and care. The study also highlights the chaotic environment in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, characterized by a high number of pediatric casualties and psychological trauma, and the nurses' feelings of helplessness as a result of being separated from their families.

CONCLUSION

This study found that nurses caring for children in the earthquake had difficulties in managing children's hospital processes and they demonstrated an empathic approach by trying to communicate with the children in their care. The nurses stated that children should be supported psychologically as well as having their basic needs such as water, food, and shelter met.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

Health policymakers should be aware that in the early stages of major disasters such as earthquakes, children are not only physically injured but also have basic needs such as water, shelter, and food, and are emotionally affected. It is recommended that disaster management plans be developed to address all children's needs and nurses be provided with psychological support and training to improve their knowledge and skills.

Experiences and psychosocial challenges of volunteer nurses in Turkey devastating earthquake zones: Lessons to be learnt for prevention of health system problems in disasters: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

This research aimed to investigate the experiences and psychosocial challenges encountered by volunteer nurses who provided care in the zones affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey in 2023.

METHODS

This qualitative study involved semistructured, in-depth interviews with 15 volunteer nurses who were actively working in earthquake-affected regions. The study was conducted between June 2023 and July 2023. Participants were selected from diverse provinces (Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya) affected by the earthquake, ensuring maximum variability. Individual online interviews were conducted using Google Meet, with data collection continuing until saturation was achieved. The study adhered to the COREQ checklist for reporting qualitative research.

RESULTS

Three main themes and eight subthemes were developed: (1) Management and Coordination (failure to meet basic needs, bureaucracy, duty, and authority issues, problems with supplies and equipment); (2) Professional Experiences (working conditions, education, perspective on the profession); and Psychosocial Problems and (3) Coping Methods (psychological problems, methods of coping with problems).

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed that volunteer nurses encountered management and organizational obstacles, were profoundly impacted by the disaster's psychosocial aspects, and often struggled with inadequacies in handling psychological challenges. Despite these challenges, the nurses reported a sense of competence in delivering care services. The insights derived from this study hold valuable lessons for future disaster response strategies. For this reason, it is recommended to plan the necessary training and initiatives to professionally strengthen the field of disaster nursing.

What Are the Best Practices for Nursing Care during an Earthquake? A Scoping Review

Among natural disasters, earthquakes have a considerable impact and are among the ten deadliest, with an extreme impact on the healthcare sector. This study aimed to analyze the best practices in nursing care for earthquake victims. An in-depth analysis was carried out by using a scoping review, a method used in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR recommendations, to identify best nursing practice in these circumstances based on searches of eight databases: MEDLINE via PubMed; Cochrane Library; Embase; VHL; PDQ-Evidence; Scopus; ProQuest; and Google Scholar. Twenty-one studies were selected. The nursing practices identified were grouped into two distinct dimensions, each subdivided into four subcategories: (i) care practices: (a) immediate care, (b) intermediate care, (c) psychosocial care, and (d) ethical care; (ii) care management and coordination practices, which cover (a) care coordination, (b) victim care network organization, (c) teamwork, and (d) training. By analyzing these nursing practices during care and relief operations for earthquake victims, this study identified the various actions carried out, the nursing skills to be developed, and the reinforcement of these advanced practices through the systematization of nurses' skills, in order to promote victims' rehabilitation, minimize their suffering, and improve their quality of life during and after an earthquake.

Natural hazard insurance demand: A systematic review

The mitigation of natural hazard costs such as loss of property, life, crops and medical costs can be achieved through the adoption of insurance. It is, however, not clear whether there is corresponding demand for insurance given the increasing frequency and veracity of natural hazards, especially in South Africa. This study follows the guideline of Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) to identify the relevant works on the subject. A total of 645 articles emerged on initial search and after screening, 39 remained which have been reviewed in this study. Reviewing the studies and conflating with the study objectives, the following themes emerged for discussion on demand for natural hazard insurance, is there demand for natural hazard insurance?; psychology of decision-making; risk perception; risk preference and willingness to pay. The study found that studies of demand for insurance have identified that there is low demand for tailor-made insurance products for natural hazards. Further analysis of the demand revealed that normative and descriptive decision-making of buying natural hazard insurance is part of the psychological factors that determine demand. Whilst risk preference and perception have sub-attributes that affect their impact on demand such as experience, age and salience to natural hazards in communities. Whilst willingness to pay is also a broad concept which is analysed using both monetary and non-monetary factors in literature, the results also identified that there is a huge gap in literature in terms of studies that cover risk preference and perception in Africa and in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.