Assessing the Learning Needs of South Carolina Nurses by Exploring Their Perceived Knowledge of Emergency Preparedness: Evaluation of a Tool

Abstract

By prioritizing learning needs based on a needs assessment and accommodating learning preferences, a systematic and planned approach to educating nurses about this extremely important topic can be implemented to significantly strengthen nurses' ability to respond to disaster events competently and effectively.

A guide to emergency preparedness and disaster nursing education resources

“…Moreover, the beta regression coefficient demonstrated that each of the seven dimensions had a significant effect on explaining overall emergency preparedness (P < 0.01). Overall, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and regression results support that the revised EPIQ is a reliable and valid instrument (McKibbin et al, 2011).…”

“…First developed by Wisniewski et al (2004), the threepart EPIQ survey is a result of the collaborative efforts of the Wisconsin Nurses Association, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, and Wisconsin Nursing Coalition, to advance emergency preparedness research and assess the training needs of registered nurses to respond to disaster situations (Garbutt et al, 2008;McKibbin et al, 2011;Wisniewski et al, 2004). Today, the EPIQ is the primary instrument used in scientific research to comprehensively assess nurses' perceived knowledge of emergency preparedness (Baack & Alfred, 2013;McKibbin et al, 2011).…”

“…Recently, McKibbin et al (2011) revised the first part of the EPIQ in their assessment of South Carolina nurses' perceived knowledge of emergency preparedness. They explored a random sample of 207 survey participants utilizing SPSS, version 17.0, statistical software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).…”

“…Two dimensions from the original survey (epidemiology and clinical decision-making, and biological agents) had similar relationships between the variables and were collapsed into one dimension, called "clinical decision-making in epidemiology and biological agents". The seven new emergency preparedness dimensions serve as the conceptual framework of this article; these include: (1) epidemiology and biological agents (modes of transmission; suspected biological or chemical exposure, signs and symptoms of exposure; antidotes, vaccines, and/or prophylactic medications; adverse reactions to vaccines; exacerbation of underlying diseases; and care for the deceased); (2) the incident command system (preparation for response, emergency operation plans, knowledge of group assignment and work location, decision-making in disasters versus nonemergency events, task delegation, and site safety issues); (3) communication and connectivity (documentation of care, presentation of risks, chain-of-custody, debriefing activities, key partners' abilities, communication of patient information, and accession to the Strategic National Stockpile); (4) psychological issues and special populations (evaluation for post-traumatic stress and/or mental health issues in children, teenagers and the general population; psychological support; care for children and all vulnerable populations; and counseling about the long-term effects of exposure); (5) isolation, quarantine, and decontamination (quarantine process, decontamination procedures, selection of appropriate personal protective equipment, and the impact on the environment); (6) triage (basic first-aid and treatment, evaluation of personal actions, and performing rapid physical and mental assessments); and (7) reporting and assessing critical information (diseases immediately reportable to local and state health departments, when and where to report symptoms, and where to access upto-date resources), as described by McKibbin et al (2011).…”

“…The conceptual underpinning of this article consists of the seven domains of emergency preparedness competencies, specified in the revised Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) survey (McKibbin, Sekula, Colbert, & Peltier, 2011), an instrument pioneered to assess the learning and training needs of Wisconsin nurses to respond to large-scale emergency events (Wisniewski, Dennik-Champion, & Peltier, 2004). First developed by Wisniewski et al (2004), the threepart EPIQ survey is a result of the collaborative efforts of the Wisconsin Nurses Association, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, and Wisconsin Nursing Coalition, to advance emergency preparedness research and assess the training needs of registered nurses to respond to disaster situations (Garbutt et al, 2008;McKibbin et al, 2011;Wisniewski et al, 2004).…”