Emergency nurses’ preparedness for disaster in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background and objective : The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently faced many man-made and natural disasters. Since disaster victims are transferred to hospitals, nurses are among the first health care providers to respond to an emergency. Therefore, to improve disaster management it is essential to examine the current state of nurses’ preparedness. The aim of the study was attempts to determine the disaster preparedness of emergency nurses in Saudi Arabia. Methods : The study data were collected using two survey tools from the research literature, and 72 participants were recruited from two government hospitals in Riyadh. The response rate was 31.7%. Results : The study revealed that most nurses understood their roles after reading the disaster plan. Although half of the respondents had completed training in the previous 12 months, only 60% answered the item related to confidence after training. There was a significant difference between the confidence of those who had participated in a disaster or mass casualties training program and that of those who had not. Only 26% answered the item related to confidence after being involved in a real disaster, and no significant difference was found between the confidence of those who had attended a real disaster or mass casualties event and that of those who had not. Conclusions : The study found that respondents had minimal and limited disaster experience, as reflected in their low levels of confidence after being involved in real disaster events. This highlights the need for continued efforts to expand disaster training and ensure that nurses are appropriately prepared.