Nurses' Preparedness for Disaster in South Khorasan Province, Ian

Abstract

Background: Nurses, as the largest group in providing relief during disasters with their\rspecialized skills, should be sufficiently prepared to provide the highest level of health care.\rBy compiling predisaster preparedness programs, the provided healthcare would be promoted\rand number of casualties and incoordination in allocated tasks be reduced. This study was\rconducted to evaluate nurses’ preparedness in response to disasters in South Khorasan\rProvince, Iran.\rMaterials and Methods: In this correlational descriptive study, working nurses in provincial\rhospitals were chosen by systematic random sampling. The study data were collected with\ra 3-part questionnaire: demographic information, items assessing the capabilities in disaster\r(clinical competency, survival skills, operational competency), and items regarding their\rviewpoints (personal and psychological readiness, team integration, and administrative\rsupport). The questionnaire was rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Total score in each field is\rdivided by the number of questions, in which 5 is the highest, and 1 the lowest. All data were\ranalyzed by SPSS16. The significant level was set at P ≤ 0.05.\rResults: Out of 304 hospital nurses working in 10 health centers throughout the province,\r71.1% were female, 27.21% had 3-5 years of job experience, 96.4% had BS in nursing, and\r57.9% were the staff of educational hospitals. The mean (SD) score for nurses’ preparedness\r(competency and attitude) was 3.4(0.64). The mean (SD) score for nurses’ competency was 3.25\r(0.72), and average score for nurses’ attitude was 3.53(0.5). There was a significant correlation\rbetween nurses’ competency score and their gender and work experience (P ≤ 0.05).\rConclusion: Regarding the nurses’ preparedness score, it is recommended that they be\rprovided with training courses on disaster preparedness through workshops and or training\rexercises.