EXPLORING Nursing Students'Level of Preparedness for Disaster Response

Abstract

This descriptive study explores students' perceptions of personal and program preparedness for disasters. Participants in this online survey included 1,348 nursing students from every state plus Guam, Puerto Rico, and theVirgin Islands. The study explored three questions: a) the level of preparedness, including learning about different types of disasters, preparing disaster plans, creating disaster kits, and participating in community disaster response efforts; b) the impact of disasters on nursing students; and c) strategies to assist nursing students during disasters. Results indicated that nursing students throughout the country are generally not well prepared for disasters. Nurse educators need to develop strategies to prepare their students for disasters. The American Red Cross provides templates for organizations, including colleges and universities, to prepare their campuses for emergencies. Faculty need to collaborate with staff and students to develop and implement plans appropriate for their programs.

An exploration of perceptions of disaster nursing and disaster preparedness among Australian nursing undergraduates

“…This finding is supported within the literature, with several studies reporting similar findings (Chan et al, 2010;Pattillo & O'Day, 2009;Schmidt et al, 2011;Yonge, Rosychuk, Bailey, Lake, & Marrie, 2010). Participants in this study felt that they had a moral obligation to contribute, were aware that they may need to extend their scope of practice, and wanted the reassurance of strong leadership and supervision to guide their efforts during a response.…”

“…Nursing undergraduates are willing to be involved in some capacity during disasters (Sanders, 2007;Schmidt, Davis, Sanders, Chapman, Cisco, & Hady, 2011). This is important when considering evidence exists that suggests the nursing workforce may be either unable or unwilling to meet demand for patient care during a disaster for a number of reasons.…”

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness in Nurses: A Concept Analysis

“…Given the negative impacts of disasters on public health and welfare, providing proper health services is the main factor contributing to the survival, reduced mortality and well-being in people affected by the events [8]. The World Health Organization emphasizes the activities that are essential for achieving preparedness [9] as part of the process of sustainable development in communities and the most effective method for responding to the emerging needs [10].Research suggests no definition for nurses' preparedness despite the emphasis placed mainly on their problems and the nursing position upon the emergence of disasters [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. The services and their effectiveness cannot be investigated as long as there is no definition for disaster preparedness in nurses.…”

Disaster nursing: Looking to the future in Norway

“…The Norwegian NF report [11] also shows that a little more, 3,09%, have competence in crises/disaster work from postgraduate education. Whilst there is an apparent need for disaster related topics in Norwegian nurses' education, this need for implementing disaster nursing topics is also proposed by several international nursing groups [10,17,19,27,29,30]. A way forward in Norway could be to introduce Disaster Nursing topics within the Norwegian National Framework so that Nurses in general would have an understanding and background in Disaster Nursing.…”