Association of Disaster Perception, Disaster Attitudes, and Communication Skills with Disaster Nursing Competence among Nurse Officers at Armed Forces Hospitals

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of disaster perception, disaster attitude, and communication skills on disaster nursing competence among nurse officers at armed forces hospitals. Methods: In this descriptive study, data were collected from 191 nurse officers at armed forces hospitals in Korea, using convenience sampling. Data were analyzed by conducting descriptive statistics, the independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean scores for disaster perception, disaster attitude, communication skills, and disaster nursing competency were 73.02±7.66, 36.86±3.96, 57.97±6.39, and 52.88±7.66, respectively. Disaster perception was correlated with disaster attitude (r=.32, p=.002), communication skills (r=.46, p<.001) and disaster nursing competence (r=.40, p<.001). Disaster attitude was correlated with communication skills(r=.28, p<.001) and disaster nursing competence (r=.19, p=.008). Communication skills were correlated with disaster nursing competence (r=.50, p<.001). The factors influencing nurse officers’ disaster nursing competence were communication skills (β=.34, p<.001), disaster perception (β=.20, p=.003), experience in disaster education (β=-.20, p=.001), experience in disaster nursing work (β=-.14, p=.022) and working experience (β=.14, p=.033). Conclusion: Disaster nursing competence had a positive correlation with recognition of communication skills, disaster perception, experience of disaster education, and experience of disaster nursing work.