Assessing the Disaster Readiness of Nurses in Hospitals

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses, as a large part of the healthcare team, are among the first to manage post-accident injuries. Thus, their readiness to cope with disasters is essential. Objective: This study aimed at assessing the disaster readiness of nurses in hospitals affiliated to Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) in Rasht City, Iran. Materials and Methods: This across-sectional study was conducted on 177 nurses in hospitals affiliated to GUMS who were selected using a systematic stratified random sampling technique. The data collection tool was Readiness Estimate and Deploy ability Index (READI), i.e., back-translated to Persian, and its acceptable validly and reliability was reported. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, mean, and standard deviation. Results: The total Mean±SD score of nurses' disaster readiness was 42±0.60. Regarding the dimensions of READI, their Mean±SD scores of disaster readiness in the area of clinical competency, operationalcompetency, survivalskills, stresscoping, leadershipandadministrative support, mental attitude, and group integration and identificationwere3.44±0.65, 4.13±0.87, 3.62±0.87, 3.27±0.91, 4±0.88, 2.66±0.85, and 3.82±0.85, respectively. The majority of them were moderately ready in all dimensions of disaster readiness, except for the area of operational competency where they were at favorable status. Conclusion: The nurses' disaster readiness was at a moderate level. Nurses with their technical skills and practical knowledge could provide the highest level of disaster care appropriate to adverse conditions to improve the affected people's health. Therefore, improving the nurses' preparedness level in this field can lead to saving the injured people and reduce the mortality rate.