Being a nurse during an earthquake that affected ten provinces: A qualitative study on experiences and expectations

This study was conducted to determine the professional experiences and future expectations of nurses working in the most damaged areas during the first two weeks of the 2023 Turkey earthquake.

The increase in the frequency and severity of disasters in recent years has strongly shown that nurses must be prepared to respond to all disasters. To prepare for disasters that require a multifaceted approach, the experiences of nurses serving in disasters should not be ignored.

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used in this research. The study included 18 nurses who worked in the first two weeks of the disaster. Data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews between April and May 2023.

Four themes were identified from the analysis of the data: (1) personal challenges, (2) organizational challenges, (3) nursing during the disaster, and (4) expectations.

The results showed that nurses needed psychosocial support intervention skills in disasters and that their psychological preparation and knowledge levels for disasters were insufficient. In addition, the study revealed that organizational preparation was inadequate and that all these factors affected nursing care.

The knowledge and skills that nurses need for professional disaster management can be provided by updating undergraduate education, in-service training procedures, and related policies. Considering that ideal disaster management is possible with a multidisciplinary team, it is recommended that national disaster policies be reviewed.