Deployment experiences of military nurses: A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this systematic review is to explore military nurses’ preparation, deployment and reintegration experiences in order to provide recommendations for effective management of the nursing team. Background: Nurses provide health care in different settings including community, hospital and the disaster site. Military nurses have a long history of deploying for global health. Method: A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis of studies focusing on the preparation, deployment and reintegration experiences of military nurses was carried out. Results: Five synthesized findings were concluded: (a) preparing and sharing experience are the key coping strategies; (b) transition from the civilian care to emergency situations; (c) teamwork contributing to team bonding and the growing role of nursing in the medical team; (d) devoting to nursing duty achieves growth; (e) reintegration is not easy and external support matters. Conclusion: Transition from civilian care to deployment and from structured deployment environment to reintegration poses challenges to nurses, and better preparation, sufficient support enables them to gain growth. Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers should consider how to sustain a competent and ready nursing team by proposing training protocols to nurses for the potential challenges during the deployment cycle when responding to disasters and public emergencies.