Experience of Nurses Providing Care at Shelters After Natural Hazards and Disasters: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Background: Nurses are frequently called upon to serve as first responders and care providers after natural hazards and disasters. As disaster relief nurses protect the health of and provide support to survivors who are forced to live in shelters, their experiences deserve to be analyzed. However, there is a paucity of research and systematic reviews (SRs) on this topic. Purpose: This research was designed to systematically analyze the experiences of nurses providing care to people in shelters following natural hazards and disasters. Methods: The authors searched CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses on July 2nd 2023 for qualitative studies published in English and Japanese since 1995 (the first year articles on this topic were published). After evaluating the methodological quality of the five included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research and conducting a critical appraisal, the relevant qualitative data were extracted. The findings were categorized according to their quality and meaning. Based on these categories, a meta-synthesis was performed to produce a set of synthesized findings. Results: The five qualitative studies included in this review covered the post-natural disaster care experiences of 45 participants. The meta-synthesis resulted in 25 findings, seven categories, and two synthesized findings, including (a) nurses play multiple roles for evacuees from affected communities and (b) nurses managing shelters to ensure the health and living conditions of evacuees. The synthesized findings explain the disaster relief experience of nurses comprehensively. Conclusions: This qualitative SR included five moderate-quality studies designed to explore the experiences of disaster relief nurses following natural hazards and disasters. Nurses worked with and managed several teams, including those involved in rescue, resource management, organization, and record management, in a flexible manner, thus involving them in the management of all events within and involving evacuee shelters. These nurses are responsible for providing medical and nursing care and protecting evacuees from danger, while respecting the pace of each individual in the disaster-stricken community. Notably, the nurses leveraged their personal and disaster nursing experiences to learn and develop nursing care strategies and techniques unique to shelters.