A guide to emergency preparedness and disaster nursing education resources

Abstract

Aim: This manuscript explores nurses' emergency preparedness for disaster response and describes a variety of educational resources to support nurses' preparedness competencies for disaster situations. Methods: A literature review of emergency and disaster preparedness publications was analyzed and synthesized from eight major electronic databases. The universally recognized domains of emergency preparedness described by the revised Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) served as the conceptual framework for the classification of these findings. Results: Nurses do not possess the necessary knowledge and skills to respond to disaster situations. As trusted healthcare providers, all nurses are expected to acquire and sustain knowledge and skills that meet society's contemporary healthcare demands, including the ability to provide care in disaster events. Previous research indicated that a scarcity of emergency preparedness resources has hindered nurses' efforts to become knowledgeable and informed. Findings demonstrated a collection of peer-reviewed research studies, government websites, hospital training guides, academic training modules, continuing education courses, and professional organization guides focused on emergency preparedness and disaster nursing education. Conclusions: Research has suggested that many nurses do not feel comfortable responding to disaster situations. A comprehensive narrative guide to US emergency preparedness and disaster nursing continuing education resources was scripted in a simple-to-use table format. This article will acquaint nurses with this guide, which provides a quick and easy means of accessing a multitude of free online continuing education resources to support the demand for nurses' requisite training and education in emergency preparedness for disaster response, without incurring the burden of cost.