Effectiveness of an online training program for improving nurses' competencies in disaster risk management

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Disaster Risk Management
• Healthcare Preparedness

Background:

• Nurses' limited disaster risk management skills pose significant risks during emergencies.
• Enhancing nurses' disaster preparedness is crucial for effective disaster response.
• This study evaluated an online training program designed to boost nurses' disaster risk management competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of an online training program in improving nurses' disaster risk management competencies.
• To compare the disaster competency scores of nurses who underwent online training with a control group.

Main Methods:

• An interventional study involving 81 nurses in a trauma hospital in Iran.
• Nurses were randomized into an intervention group (online training) and a control group.
• The Nurses' Perceptions of Disaster Core Competencies (NPDCC) scale was administered before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in disaster competency scores between groups before training (p > 0.05).
• The intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement in NPDCC scores post-training (p < 0.02).
• No significant difference in NPDCC scores between the intervention and control groups after training (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The online training program significantly enhanced nurses' self-reported disaster competencies.
• The observed improvement in competencies was not significantly greater than that of the control group.
• Continuous practical exercises and disaster drills are recommended to further strengthen nurses' disaster management skills.