Disaster preparedness and core competencies among emergency nurses: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: With the rise in frequency and severity of disasters in recent decades, it is essentially important that nurses must be adequately prepared to handle them. This study was aimed to evaluate the levels of disaster core competencies and preparedness of nurses in the emergency department. Design: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted from August 2020 to December 2020 among 271 nurses in the emergency departments of six hospitals in Qazvin, Iran. The participants completed the “Nurses Perceptions of Disaster Core Competencies Scale” (NPDCC) (45 items) and the disaster preparedness (a single-item visual scale). Data were analysed by one-way analysis of variance, independent t-tests and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean scores of disaster preparedness and core competencies of nurses were 6.75 out of 10 (SD = 1.63) and 2.88 out of 5 (SD = 0.80), respectively. "Technical skills" (mean = 3.24, SD = 0.91) were the highest and "communication skills" (mean = 2.57, SD = 0.95) were the lowest across the subscales of the scale. A significant association was found between disaster core competencies and preparedness of nurses (p