Disaster Preparedness and Response Competencies Among Nurses in Disaster-Affected Hospital: An Analysis of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices.

Abstract

Introduction: The impact of disaster is significant on the physical, psychological, psychosocial, and spiritual conditions of survivors. Hospital requires adequate resources, including the readiness of nurses' competencies in disaster management. This study aimed to compare nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding disaster preparedness and response before and after a training intervention.

Method: A quasi-experimental study with one-group pretest-posttest design was conducted. A total of 50 emergency and intensive care nurses were recruited using cluster random sampling. Data collection was performed using "Disaster Management Assessment Tool for Health Care Practitioners (DMAT-HCP)" to identify KAP, willingness to continue practicing during disaster, and organization-based disaster management. Data were analyzed using paired t-test.

Results: Significant differences were found between pre- and posttest results in nurses' knowledge (p < 0.001), practices (p < 0.001), and willingness to continue practicing (p = 0.003). In contrast, no significant differences were observed in attitudes (p = 0.160) or organization-based management (p = 0.112). Overall, the intervention significantly improved nurses' competencies in disaster preparedness and response (p < 0.001; d = 0.60, 95% CI).

Conclusions: The implementation of training interventions yielded significant enhancements in knowledge acquisition, practice, and willingness to continue performing duties during disaster scenarios. Notably, the study revealed that nurses' attitudes and organization-based management did not exert a statistically significant influence on disaster response outcomes. Conversely, targeted training and educational programs, including simulation-based skills training, were found to be efficacious in augmenting nurses' disaster competencies.