Experiences of wound, ostomy and continence nurses after the earthquake in Türkiye: a phenomenological study

Abstract

Background: Given the earthquake-related injuries, particular needs of patients with chronic wounds and ostomy, Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses (WOCNs) who care for disaster victims play critical roles in this extraordinary process. Objective: To explore and identify the experiences of the WOCNs who work in the provinces affected by the Kahramanmaraş and Hatay earthquakes in 2023. Methods: This study is a qualitative research with a phenomenological design. In-depth interviews were conducted with the WOCNs online between October and December 2023. A semi-structured interview form was used in the research. One-to-one interviews were conducted with ten WOCNs in Türkiye. The qualitative interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Reporting of the study was used to the COREQ checklist. Results: At the end of the study, six themes from the data: “The multidimensional sufferings of earthquake victims”, “being an earthquake victim nurse”, “the roles and responsibilities of WOCNs”, “struggling to maintain care amidst chaos”, “nurses’ thoughts about the profession in an earthquake”, and “lessons learned from the earthquake”. Conclusion: It was determined that WOCNs experienced difficulties in continuing patient care after the earthquake disaster and that they made significant contributions to the management of nursing services with their experience and skills. WOCNs highlighted the importance of establishing teams that include WOCNs, increasing the number of WOCNs, ensuring supply chains for ostomy and wound care materials, and providing targeted training for personnel in order to efficiently manage post-earthquake care services. These suggestions indicate potential strategies to strengthen healthcare resilience in disaster contexts.