Nurse Perceptions of Knowledge and Preparedness for Disasters

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Disaster Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Effective disaster preparedness among healthcare professionals is crucial for mitigating the impact of emergencies.
• Nurses play a vital role in patient care during disasters, necessitating adequate knowledge and skills.
• Assessing nurses' perceptions of preparedness is essential for identifying training needs and enhancing response capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the level of knowledge and perceptions of disaster preparedness among nurses.
• To identify factors influencing nurses' self-assessed preparedness for disasters in a tertiary university hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted with 183 nurses at a university hospital in Turkey.
• Data were collected using the Sociodemographic Information Form and the Disaster Preparedness Perception Scale in Nurses (DPPSN).
• Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22 software.

Main Results:

• The mean age of participants was 34.31 years, with 83.1% being female.
• 58.5% of nurses had received disaster training, primarily face-to-face and institutionally provided.
• The overall mean score on the DPPSN was 3.53 out of 5, indicating partial adequacy in disaster preparedness.

Conclusions:

• Nurses generally perceive themselves as partially adequate in disaster preparedness.
• Findings highlight the need for targeted training programs to enhance nurses' confidence and competence in disaster situations.