Educational needs and disaster response readiness: A cross-sectional study of clinical nurses

To analyse clinical nurses' educational needs and disaster response readiness and the factors influencing their disaster response readiness.

This was a cross-sectional study.

A convenience sample comprising 260 nurses with more than a year of working experience at a hospital in Korea was selected from 1-31 August 2019. Data on nurses' educational needs and disaster response readiness were collected from participants. A multiple regression model was used to examine the factors influencing disaster response readiness among nurses.

Factors influencing personal readiness were number of years of clinical experience, being female, working in a medical ward, and educational needs for disaster response. Factors influencing self-protection were working in a medical ward and working in the emergency room. Factors influencing the emergency response were working in a medical ward and working in the emergency room. Factors influencing clinical management were a graduate-level education or higher, working in a medical ward, working in the emergency room, working in the paediatric ward, experience receiving disaster-related education, and educational needs for disaster response.

It is essential to be aware of the educational needs and disaster readiness of hospital clinical nurses, to develop their capacity to respond such situations. In addition, to improve the disaster competency of nurses, it is necessary to develop an education programme that considers the factors influencing disaster response readiness in this study.

Nurses must have the knowledge and skills to respond to a disaster. Nurse educators should help nurses strengthen their disaster-related knowledge, skills, and judgment. Hospital administrators should encourage nurse educators to provide disaster-related training and simulation-based education to increase nurses' disaster competency to act during disasters.