الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The frequency of disasters is increasing worldwide. They may be natural or man-made. Disaster management is a set of strategies for dealing with disasters which help ensure that loss of life and property is at a minimum. It involves four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Disaster planning is essential for hospitals. Its purpose is to provide the policies, procedures, and guidelines necessary to protect lives and limit injury, and protect property immediately before, during, and after a disaster event. Nurses have significant roles in disaster management and preparedness, and they have to understand these roles. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a disaster plan for nursing department at Al- Maadi military hospital. The study was carried out in the nursing department at Al-Maadi Military Hospital using a methodological research, with a quasi-experimental design for pre-post assessment. The study subjects consisted of a nursing group that included 110 nurses from different categories, and a jury group of six academic faculty members and five leaders in disaster management in the Armed Forces. The data collection tools included an interview questionnaire, checklists for assessment of nurses’ practice in fire drill, an inventory checklist for resources, and an opinionnaire for experts’ validation of the plan. A pilot study was carried out on 11 nurses and the tools were finalized accordingly. The fieldwork of this study was carried out through assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation phases. The researcher developed the disaster preparedness plan and related training program based on analysis of the assessment phase, and in view of the related literature, implemented it, and evaluated its validity and effectiveness. The main study findings were as follows: Most nurses were staff nurses (57.3%) with nursing school diploma (60%), with mean experience 8.6 years, and 92.7% of them had previously attended training in disaster. The validity of the developed disaster preparedness plan as assessed by experts’ opinions was high with a majority agreeing upon all items of face and content validity. Nurses’ awareness of natural and man-made disasters was variable, but significantly improved after implementation of the program (p<0.001). Nurses’ awareness of disaster preparedness plan elements was generally low before the intervention especially regarding nurse role, training, evacuation, and fire protection. However, at the posttest significant improvements were revealed in almost all its elements. Overall, only 12.7% were adequately aware at the pretest compared with 99.1% at the posttest (p<0.001). The nurses’ performance in fire drill showed statistically significant improvements, with none of the nurses had adequate practice before the intervention compared to 84% after the intervention (p<0.001). The study has also revealed significant improvements in the availability of most of the disaster preparedness plan supplies and equipment, in good working condition, with accessibility and good storage. In conclusion, the development, validation and implementation of a disaster preparedness plan effected significant improvements in nurses’ awareness of disasters and in all their related preparedness elements, in addition to their performance in fire drill, along with significant improvements in the resources needed for disaster preparedness. The study recommends that the plan be implemented in similar settings, with inclusion of other activities such as evacuation, and transfer. Full cooperation between researchers and the administration of the settings is needed. Nurses need continuing training to refresh their knowledge and maintain their skills. Further research is proposed to develop plans that include all categories of health care workers. |