Duty in a time of disaster: a concept analysis

The concept of "duty" is explored particularly as it applies to disaster nursing.

To identify the contributing factors to a nurse's sense of duty and the resulting consequences of such. Nursing implications of duty in a time of disaster are also discussed.

Professional literature, electronic resources, and nursing textbooks were used. The analysis was done using Walker and Avant's (1995) process.

The concept of duty has always been prevalent in nursing. As long as nurses have a sense of duty to their communities, nurse administrators will also have a moral obligation to protect their staff, especially in a time of disaster when nurses are compelled by a heightened sense of duty.