Disaster education in undergraduate nursing curriculum: A Delphi study to prioritise content for nursing students

ABSTRACT 

Background: When a disaster occurs, a health response must adapt to meet the needs of the community. Nursing students may be able to assist in supporting the nursing workforce to meet the community’s health needs during and/or following a disaster. However, there is a paucity of literature regarding the educational needs of nursing students regarding disaster preparedness. Further, the disaster-related content that is important to be included in undergraduate nursing curricula is poorly understood. 

Methods: This study used a modified three-round Delphi design guided by the principles of the Guidance on Conducting and REporting DElphi Studies. Data was collected from Australian clinical and academic nurses via online surveys. Analysis was undertaken using descriptive statistics including means of central tendency, with disaster content topic areas and statements considered a priority if they obtained a mean score of four out of five, or greater. 

Results: A total of 38 nurses participated in this study. Across the three rounds, eight topic areas and 37 different statements were included. High priority statements for topic inclusions in undergraduate curricula were “disaster knowledge,” “assessment and triage,” “critical thinking,” and “technical skills.” Additionally, statements relating to “mental wellbeing” and “teamwork in stressful situations” were ranked as the highest. 

Conclusions: Disaster-related content should be included in undergraduate nursing curricula. This content could be embedded within existing units of study and/or delivered as a standalone unit of study. The educational method for delivering disaster content could vary from a didactic approach to simulation exercises depending on the content and local context.

REFERENCE: 

Ranse J, Ituma W, Bail K, Hutton A. Disaster education in undergraduate nursing curriculum: A Delphi study to prioritise content for nursing students. Collegian. 29(5):590-597

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Future considerations for Australian nurses and their disaster educational preparedness: a discussion

Free full-text article is available here (PDF)

ABSTRACT
Australian nurses have been active participants in disaster assistance both within the in-hospital and out-of-hospital environment. This paper discusses the current disaster education opportunities and challenges for nurses. Additionally, various educational strategies for different cohorts of nurses are discussed highlighting the need for education to be targeted at the right cohort of nurses, at the right time, using the right strategy. To enhance the educational preparedness of Australian nurses and subsequently their willingness to assist in a disaster it is suggested that the education should replicate the realities of ‘what it is like’ to assist in a disaster. Additionally, education should be positioned within a national framework for disaster health education.


Ranse J, Hammad K, Ranse K. (2013). Future considerations for Australian nurses and their disaster educational preparedness: a discussion. Australian Journal of Emergency Management. 28(4):49-53.

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Disaster content in Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses: A survey

Free full-text article is available here (PDF)

ABSTRACT
Background: Emergency nurses play a pivotal role in disaster relief during the response to, and recovery of both in-hospital and out-of-hospital disasters. Postgraduate education is important in preparing and enhancing emergency nurses’ preparation for disaster nursing practice. The disaster nursing content of Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses has not been compared across courses and the level of agreement about suitable content is not known.

Aim: To explore and describe the disaster content in Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses.

Method: A retrospective, exploratory and descriptive study of the disaster content of Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses conducted in 2009. Course convenors from 12 universities were invited to participate in a single structured telephone survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. 

Results: Ten of the twelve course convenors from Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses participated in this study. The content related to disasters was varied, both in terms of the topics covered and duration of disaster content. Seven of these courses included some content relating to disaster health, including types of disasters, hospital response, nurses’ roles in disasters and triage. The management of the dead and dying, and practical application of disaster response skills featured in only one course. Three courses had learning objectives specific to disasters.

Conclusion: The majority of courses had some disaster content but there were considerable differences in the content chosen for inclusion across courses. The incorporation of core competencies such as those from the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organisation, may enhance content consistency in curriculum. Additionally, this content could be embedded within a proposed national education framework for disaster health.



Ranse J, Shaban R, Considine J, Hammad K, Arbon P, Mitchell B, Lenson S. (2013). Disaster content in Australian tertiary postgraduate emergency nursing courses: A survey. Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal. 16(2):58-63. doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2013.04.002

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Issues in Disasters for Health Professionals

I was invited to deliver a presentation to the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Disaster Response Service in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. This presentation outlines various issues for health professionals – particularly nurses and midwives – in disaster health. The presentation included discussions relating to:

• Willingness
• Ability
• Resources
• Role
• Volunteering

However, the focus of the presentation was on disaster education for health professionals. Highlighting the mismatch between what is taught, educated and trained versus what happens in the realities in disaster health.

Video Part 1:
This part of the presentation provides an overview of my background. Additionally, it introduces the presentation and covers the following topics:
- Definition of disasters
- Overview of Australian disasters
- Overview of disasters Australia has been involved with within the region
- Willingness of nurses to assist in disasters
- Ability of nurses to assist in disasters

Video Part 2:
This part of the presentation focuses on education. It provides an overview of a number of studies relating to education for Australian nurses. In particular, this part of the presentation provides an overview of education in:
- Undergraduate programs
- In-service type programs
- Postgraduate tertiary programs
- Other programs (such as MIMMS)
- Competencies for nurses and midwives
- Educational preparedness
Additionally, this part of the presentation outlines aspects of disaster resources for nurses.

Video Part 3:
This part of the presentation focuses on:
- The role of nurses during disasters
- Employer entitlements
- Volunteering
- Who to deploy with (and who not to deploy with)

Video Part 4:
This clip is after the completion of the presentation. Participants were encouraged to generate discussion regarding the presentation content. Some discussion included:
- Social media for health professionals
- Specialties in disaster response and recovery (such as midwifery and renal specialties)
- More discussion about roles and responsibilities (who is going to set-up your decontamination shower?)


Ranse J. (2011). Issues in disasters for health professionals; Guest speaker for the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Disaster Response Service, Brisbane, Queensland, 10th August.

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Role, resources, and clinical and educational backgrounds of nurses who participated in the prehospital response to the 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia

This presentation provided an overview of research relating to the role of nurses in the pre-hospital setting of the 2009 Victorian bushfires. It highlighted that nurses undertake roles beyond that of a purely clinical nature, including: emotional support, coordination of care and problem solving. Additionally, this presentation illustrated the varied amount and type of resources taken to the disaster environment, and the usefulness of these resources.

Ranse J, Lenson S. (2011). Role, response and clinical and educational backgrounds of nurses who participated in the pre-hospital response to the 2009 Bushfires in Victoria, Australia; paper presented at the 17th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Beijing, China, 1st June.

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Disaster content varies in Australian postgraduate tertiary emergency nursing courses: Implications for educational preparedness

This presentation outlined the findings of a research project that explored the type and amount of disaster content in postgraduate emergency nursing programs in Australia. In 2009, twelve Australian universities offered programs specific to emergency nursing. Of these, ten participated in this project.

The type and amount of disaster content varied between all Australian postgraduate emergency nursing programs. Some programs did not discuss disasters at all, whilst had discussions regarding disasters embedded within other course content. A number included disaster content as a stand-alone topic.

Commonly, content relating to disasters was delivered by the program convenor or an expert clinician. The type of delivery varied from didactic to workshop style presentations. This presentation outlined the need for consensus and consistency in the delivery of postgraduate studies, using disasters as the context to this discussion.


Ranse J, Arbon P, Shaban R, Considine J, Mitchell B, Lenson S. (2011). Disaster content varies in Australian postgraduate emergency nursing courses: Implications for educational preparedness; paper presented at the 17th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Beijing, China, 31st May.

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Exploring the disaster content in Australian postgraduate emergency nursing programs

This presentation outlined recent research regarding the type and amount of disaster content in post-graduate tertiary emergency nursing programs in Australasia.

Reference: Ranse J, Arbon P, Shaban R, Considine J, Mitchell B, Lenson S. Exploring the disaster content in Australian postgraduate emergency nursing programs; paper presented at the 8th International Conference for Emergency Nurses, Canberra, Australia, 16th October 2010.

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