Nurses’ Preparedness for Disasters in a Crisis-Stricken Country: A Case Study in Afghanistan, in ۲۰۲۰

Background: Nurses play an essential role in the hospital’s response to accidents and disasters. Assessing nurses’ preparedness is the starting point to improve and increase their preparedness for disasters. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the preparedness of nurses of a ۶۵۰-bed district hospital in Herat, Afghanistan in the face of disasters in ۲۰۲۰. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, and the study subjects included all nurses working in a ۶۵۰-bed district hospital in Herat Province. The data collection tool was a standard questionnaire to determine the level of preparedness of nurses against accidents and disasters, which was localized. This questionnaire included three areas of knowledge, attitude, and performance. The maximum score in each of the domains was ۱۰۰. To analyze the data, descriptive indicators, such as mean, median, standard deviation, and quartiles, and analytical methods such as independent t-test, ۱-way analysis of variance, the Mann-Whitney and Friedman nonparametric tests, and the Spearman correlation coefficient-test were used. Results: The Mean±SD scores obtained by the participants in each of the areas of knowledge, attitude, and performance (behavior) were ۳۰±۱۲, ۸۱±۱۲, and ۴۰±۷, respectively. The study’s findings showed a statistically significant relationship between knowledge score and the duration of disaster education and management history. Also, a statistically significant association was observed between performance and variables of age, gender, marital status, education level, work experience, management history, duration of training received on disasters, and history of previous disaster exposure. Conclusion: Considering that the preparedness of nurses participating in this study was lower than average in two of the three areas, the level of preparedness of nurses for disasters is low and undesirable and requires measures, such as holding regular theoretical and practical training courses to increase it.

کلیدواژه ها:

Disaster preparation ، Hospital ، Nurses