Chinese nurses' experience in the Wenchuan earthquake relief

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Disaster Management
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Chinese nurses played a crucial role in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake relief efforts.
• Nurses perceived disaster relief as outside their usual practice, facing overwhelming challenges.
• China's vulnerability to disasters necessitates better preparedness in disaster nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand how Chinese nurses responded to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
• To explore nurses' experiences and identify required roles and attributes in disaster response.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics.
• Semi-structured interviews with ten registered nurses.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported feeling under-prepared for the disaster.
• Identified perceived challenges and coping strategies employed by nurses.
• Observed a rediscovery of the helping and caring role in disaster situations.

Conclusions:

• Lack of disaster nursing education hinders effective and less stressful disaster relief.
• A systematic educational approach is essential to develop necessary disaster nursing skills.
• Findings underscore the need for specialized training to equip nurses for disaster response.