An illumination of the ICN’s core competencies in disaster nursing version 2.0: Advanced nursing response to COVID-19 outbreak in China

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to report on the actions and incident management of the advanced practice nurses of a disaster operation team who were deployed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and to explore how it illustrated the Core Competencies in Disaster Nursing Version 2.0 delineated by the International Council of Nurses in 2019. Methods: This is a descriptive study. The participants (responders) communicated and reported their actions in the operation with headquarter on a popular social media platform in China (WeChat), established specifically for the three-rescue teams. Results: The response approach of advanced nurses to COVID-19 encompassed six of the eight domains of the competencies outlined in ICN CCDN V2.0, namely on preparation and planning, communication, incident management systems, safety and security, assessment and intervention. Conclusions: The response teams of advanced practice nurses in this study clearly demonstrated their competencies in disaster rescue, which fulfilled most of the core competencies set forth by the ICN. Implications for Nursing Management: The findings of this study contributed to understand the roles played by advanced practice nurses and nurse managers in disaster management and how these relate to the competencies set forth by the ICN.