Improving Disaster Readiness and the Response of Nurses in Saudi Arabia

What is Disaster Readiness Among Health Care Professionals? A Systematic Integrative Review Study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the meaning of disaster readiness among health care professionals.

METHODS

A systematic, integrative literature review was conducted on PubMed, Chinal plus with full text, Web of Science, PsychInfo, and Scopus. Quality appraisal was conducted using the CASP checklists.

RESULTS

A total of 22 scientific articles were included. Disaster readiness, from the perspectives of health care professionals, was defined as having sufficient skills and confidence to respond, having access to the necessary equipment, being able to adapt to the changing environment and organizational structure, and being willing to serve in a disaster.

CONCLUSIONS

Disaster readiness is more than being prepared. Disaster readiness means moving beyond technical skills and knowledges to include personal mental preparedness and a willingness to confront the risks and take necessary precautions to stay safe and resilient in the efforts to help others. To enhance disaster readiness, preparations should include introducing elements that touch the soul, providing moral and personal motivation to serve in a disaster, and initiating thoughts on what such deployments or situations could be like for those affected as well as for health care professionals. How to enhance such trainings and develop effective training methods must be a focus for future studies.

Adapting WHO Rapid Response Teams Advanced Training Program to Saudi Arabia's Public Health Needs: A Systematic Process

OBJECTIVES

To enhance the emergency response preparedness of public health professionals in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization Rapid Response Team Advanced Training Package (WHO RRT ATP) was adapted. It was designed to align with local cultural and operational contexts.

METHODS

A 2-day workshop was conducted involving experts who reviewed and modified the adapted WHO RRT ATP training materials. The process was structured into 7 phases: needs assessment, stakeholder analysis, cultural tailoring, content adaptation, module selection, implementation planning, and evaluation framework development.

RESULTS

Key challenges revealed included inadequate hospital coordination, shortage of trained personnel and medical services, and insufficient knowledge of disease transmission. Core training modules were adapted, and supplementary materials were reviewed. Key considerations included addressing existing gaps, cultural sensitivity, and current outbreak trends in KSA. Participants' feedback showed high satisfaction, with 86.7% of participants providing a mean rating of 4.77 on day 1 and 80% of participants giving an average rating of 4.67 on day 2 on a Likert scale of 1-5.

CONCLUSIONS

Cultural and country needs were key factors in the workshop's successful outcomes. The adapted training program is anticipated to significantly enhance the preparedness of health care professionals in KSA to manage public health emergencies.

Psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the Disaster Nursing Readiness Evaluation Index (F-DNREI)

BACKGROUND

Considering the vital role of nurses in responding to disasters, it is essential to measure their readiness with a valid and reliable tool. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the Disaster Nursing Readiness Evaluation Index (F-DNREI).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2023 and 2024 among 200 nurses working at educational hospitals affiliated with one of the medical universities in Tehran, Iran. The Disaster Nursing Readiness Evaluation Index was translated into Persian. The face, content, and construct validity, as well as internal consistency, were analyzed.

RESULTS

In the exploratory factor analysis, five factors were extracted: practical skills for disaster response, adaptability to stressful situations at the disaster site, communication and cooperation skills for teamwork, emergency nursing skills, and effective coping with daily stress. Together, these factors accounted for 39.7% of the total variance. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the extracted model fit well: CMIN/DF = 1.519, CFI = 0.889, RMSEA = 0.051. The Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients for the entire questionnaire were 0.890 and 0.891, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Given that Iran is frequently exposed to disasters, it becomes essential to assess the preparedness of Iranian nurses using a valid and reliable scale. The availability of the Farsi version of the Disaster Nursing Readiness Evaluation Index (F-DNREI), which has undergone validation and reliability testing, facilitates accurate measurement of this concept.

Nurses' Readiness for Catastrophe Management and Its Relation to Their Organizational Commitment: Recommendations for Education

Background

Catastrophes are challenging events for nations and health systems that require healthcare providers, especially nurses, to be prepared to respond effectively. Although nurses play a critical role in managing catastrophes and postcatastrophic situations, their preparedness is often inadequate and affected by their organizational commitment. Therefore, this study assessed nurses' preparedness for catastrophe management and its relationship with their organizational commitment.

Methods

A cross-sectional correlational, descriptive design involving 286 conveniently sampled nurses was conducted in four public hospitals in Hail city. Data were collected using a questionnaire that compiled two tools: the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool to assess nurses' preparedness for catastrophe management and the Organizational Commitment Scale to assess their attachment to their hospitals. Correlations between mean scores of nurses' knowledge, skills, and preparedness for postcatastrophe management and organizational commitment were tested using Spearman's correlation, with a significance level of <0.05.

Results

Most nurses had low levels of knowledge (79.7%), skills (78.7%), and preparedness for postcatastrophe management (78.7% each). Meanwhile, 57.3% of nurses had low levels of affective commitment to their hospitals, compared to 78.7% for continuance and normative commitments. Statistically significant positive, moderate correlations were found between nurses' knowledge and skills in managing catastrophes (r = 0.512; p < 0.01) and knowledge and preparedness for postcatastrophe management (r = 0.492; p < 0.01), as well as nurses' skills and preparedness for postcatastrophe management (r = 0.533; p < 0.01). However, the nurses' level of organizational commitment was not significantly correlated with their knowledge, skills, or preparedness for postcatastrophe management.

Conclusion

Nurses in Hail city are not adequately prepared to respond to and manage catastrophes and postcatastrophic situations, and they have low organizational commitments to their hospitals. Therefore, nursing education should integrate catastrophe management into the curricula, and hospital administrators should prioritize a supportive work environment that strengthens organizational commitment and provides ongoing education and regular training to improve nurses' preparedness for catastrophe management.

Disaster literacy in disaster emergency response: a national qualitative study among nurses

BACKGROUND

As the largest group of healthcare professionals, nurses play an indispensable and crucial role in disaster response. The enhancement of nurses' disaster literacy is imperative for effective disaster emergency management. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge regarding nurses' disaster literacy. This study represents the first attempt to explore the key components and characteristics of disaster literacy among nurses.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive design was employed, and the reporting followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines (refer to File S1). The purposive sampling method was utilized. Thirty-one rescue nurses from 31 medical institutions across 25 provinces and regions in China were recruited to participate in the study. The respondents were requested to share their experiences and insights regarding disaster rescue operations. Inductive content analysis was employed for data examination.

RESULTS

The results indicated that rescue nurses universally recognized that there was a pressing need to enhance the level of disaster literacy among nurses. The disaster literacy of nurses encompasses nine dimensions: physical and mental quality, disaster rescue general knowledge, professional and technical competence, professional ethics, teamwork, emotional ability, information literacy, leadership, and knowledge transformation.

CONCLUSIONS

To ensure national sustainability, government departments, healthcare organizations, and hospital administrators can accurately evaluate the disaster literacy of individual clinical nurses, groups, and the workforce as a whole through nine dimensions, which also can provide evidence to support the development of precision strategies to strengthen the disaster literacy of nurses.

Enhancing Nurses' Disaster Management and Preparedness: Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Online Educational Program Through a Quasi-Experimental Study

Background

Disaster management is an ongoing international concern, and nurses play essential roles in minimizing negative impacts on the health of communities. However, many nurses have limited knowledge and skills on how to respond to disasters effectively. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a newly developed educational program on improving nurses' disaster management and preparedness.

Methods and Design

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 88 nurses working at a public hospital. The educational program included six modules covering various aspects of disaster management. Pre-and post-tests were administered to evaluate changes in perceptions of disaster management competencies. Independent sample t-test, Pearson coefficient correlation, and One-way ANOVA tests were all run using SPSS.

Results

A significant proportion of nurses (78.4%) reported ongoing training in disaster management, while a smaller percentage (21.6%) expressed a contrary opinion. Nurses also had a moderate level of agreement with the disaster preparedness program (Pretest: 2.26 ± 0.34; post-test: 2.29 ± 0.31). Further, the results showed small improvements in nursing perceptions of the operational plan after the educational program (Pretest: M=2.76, SD=0.63; Post-test: M=2.89, SD=0.44), although the differences between pre-and-post assessments were not significant (P > 0.05). The mean values for overall familiarity in the pre-test were 3.16 ± 1.39, while in the post-test, they slightly increased to 3.26 ± 1.18. The findings also showed no statistically significant differences reported in nurses' attitudes and familiarity towards disaster preparedness based on the gender, marital status, nationality, working shifts, and working hours variables (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the significance of providing nurses with the essential knowledge that helps respond to disasters. Online educational programs can help improve nurses' preparedness to better manage disasters. Future research should investigate additional variables that could enhance nurses' knowledge and skills related to disaster response.

The impact of utilizing inclusive leadership among nurses during crises: A multisite comparative study

Nurses' psychological wellness and satisfaction are threatened by exposure to many stressors. Adopting a promising leadership style has beneficial impacts at different levels, especially during crises. This study aimed to examine the impact of inclusive leadership on nurses' satisfaction and psychological distress during crises, focusing on three Arabic countries. A cross-sectional descriptive design was utilized to meet the study goal. Data were collected electronically in the three countries using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Carmel's Inclusive Leadership Scale. Two hundred seventy-four participants fully responded: 90 from Egypt, 82 from Saudi Arabia, and 102 from Jordan. Descriptive statistics, Pearson R, Spearman Rho, Point biserial, and ANOVA tests were used to answer the research questions. There were statistically significant differences between countries in the mean scores of inclusive leadership and psychological distress. In addition, statistically significant relationships between inclusive leadership, psychological distress, and job satisfaction were found. The study focused on the importance of approaching inclusive leadership to increase employee satisfaction, reduce psychological distress, and achieve organizational goals.