Identification of the preparedness level of nurses for disasters in Turkey: A university hospital example

Introduction: Disasters cause difficulties for people in meeting their basic needs by creating loss of life and property. In such cases, a great number of injured people which can exceed the capacity of hospitals can be in question. The disruption of the meeting of needs for any reason can cause vital activities to stop. Purpose: This study as a definition aimed at identifying the awareness level of nurses who work in a state institution of disasters. Method: This study of descriptive design was carried out with 230 volunteering nurses who are working at the Faculty of Medicine Hospital located in the eastern Mediterranean region in Turkey. The data were collected through an interview form and consisting of 20 questions and 'Preparation for Disasters for Nurses Perception Scale' and the numbers, percentage rate and standard deviation were analyzed with the Pearson Correlation Analysis, Independent-Samples T Test and One-Way ANOVA. Findings: As a result of the analyses, it was determined that there is no significant difference between the Preparation for Disaster Perception of the nurses and gender, work experience in years and disaster experience (p > 0.05) and a significant difference was found between education, training in cases of disasters, disaster training type and having read the disaster plan of the hospital (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The responsibility of health institutions in cases of disasters consists of meeting the increasing medical and treatment needs during and after disasters.