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Psychological first aid training in disaster preparedness for nurses working with emergencies and traumas
Nizar B Said1, Alex Molassiotis2, Vico C L Chiang2
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Aim:
This study aimed at evaluating the effects of a modified psychological first aid (PFA) training program on nurses' psychological preparedness for emergencies and disasters.
Background:
Nurses need to be psychologically prepared in order to mitigate the impact of conflicts and disasters. The PFA training could ensure their psychological preparedness in responding to different emergencies and disasters.
Design:
A nonequivalent controlled group trial was conducted between July 2019 and August 2019.
Methods:
Nurses working in the trauma units from five hospitals in Palestine were allocated into two arms: a control arm and an intervention arm incorporating a 9-hour modified PFA training program. Both groups were assessed at start (pretest) and upon completion of the program (post test) using a number of validated self-reports.
Results:
Eighty-four nurses were allocated to each arm, and 75 in each arm completed baseline data (n = 150). The results of generalized estimating equation estimates revealed that PFA training imposed a significant group-by-time effect on psychological preparedness (p = 0.013). The mean scores of psychological preparedness showed greater improvement in the intervention group than in the control group at posttest (37.81 vs. 32.64). Improved group-by-time effect was further identified in relation to optimism (p = 0.009), self-esteem (p = 0.008), and self-efficacy (p = 0.033). The intervention effect was large (Cohen d = 1.41).
Conclusion:
PFA training may help to build nurses' capacity in being better prepared to respond to psychological issues during and after emergencies and disasters.
Implications For Nursing And Health Policy:
Nurses should be adequately equipped with knowledge and skills to deal with different emergencies and disasters. Health policy needs to address psychological preparedness for emergencies and disasters of all healthcare workers. Healthcare policymakers and educators could adopt PFA training on a regular basis to consolidate psychological preparedness of nurses.
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