Jordanian nurses’ competencies in providing community care during disaster: a cross-sectional survey

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the perceived level of Jordanian nurses’ competencies in offering care to the community during a disaster. Design/methodology/approach A correlational descriptive design was used to assess nurses’ competencies in offering care for the community during a disaster. Findings A total of 370 nurses (55 % males) aged 25−55 agreed to participate. The mean score of competencies of nurses who offer care to the community during the disaster was 2.11 (SD = 0.59) points. The results of correlation coefficient tests revealed a significant positive correlation between stated competencies level and nurses’ sex, receiving disaster education and training with rpb (371) = 0.13, p < 0.01; rpb (598) = 0.15, p = 0.004; rpb (598) = 0.21, p < 0.001, respectively. Furthermore, the “care of communities” subscale had a weak positive correlation with the. Originality/value Nurses play a critical role in disaster response. However, there was a gap in nurses’ competencies for disaster, which shows there is a crucial need to include disaster management courses in the nursing curriculum and update disaster management courses in hospitals based on nurses’ needs to improve their competencies during disasters.