Disaster Preparation of Visiting Nurses in Public Health Centers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing personal disaster preparation and disaster nursing core competency among visiting nurses in public health centers. Methods: A descriptive survey study was adopted. A convenience sample was taken from 277 subjects in three regions. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: The mean personal disaster preparation and disaster nursing core competency scores were 11.13 and 76.87, respectively. Personal disaster preparation was statistically significant by experience of disaster victims and disaster management guideline. Disaster nursing core competency was statistically significant by participation in future disaster recovery. As a result of multiple regression analysis, personal disaster preparation accounted for 14.9 of the variance by experience of disaster victims and disaster management guidelines; disaster nursing core competency accounted for 8.9 of the variance by perception of disaster nursing. Conclusion: Although visiting nurses are ill-prepared for disaster, global natural and man-made disasters can occur regardless of time and place. Disaster education and training should therefore be included in nurses' fundamental education.

Factors Affecting the Disaster Response Competency of Emergency Medical Technicians in South Korea

“…High scores indicated higher levels of personal disaster preparedness. The KudereRichardson Formula 20 found in a previous study [19] was .81, whereas it was .77 in the present study (household preparedness, .67; workplace preparedness, .63).…”

“…The participants took approximately 20 minutes to complete the survey that comprised 70 questions in all. To ensure the reliability and validity of the measurement in this study, published scales that reported good levels of validity and reliability in a previous study [19] were used. We also consulted two experts with national disaster life support instructor certification for the developed measurements (disaster risk perception, self-efficacy for disaster) and conducted a pilot test (n ¼ 20) before conducting the study.…”

“…Demographic characteristics include gender, region, age, marital status, educational level, career, working shifts, and annual income. Furthermore, the section "disaster-related characteristics" was developed by Uhm et al [19]. It included the following three items: (a) Have you ever been exposed to a disaster?…”

“…Personal disaster preparedness refers to survival goods and plans that are necessary during disasters. The section "personal disaster preparedness" was developed by Uhm et al [19] and has been modified to suit the needs of the present study. In the pilot test (n ¼ 20), two unclear items about the use of an extinguisher and one similar item about insurance were excluded from the original questionnaire.…”

“…Disaster risk perception refers to the perception of an individual's subjective risks for the occurrence of a disaster [14,15]. This scale was developed based on previous studies [12,13,19] and expert group consultation. We excluded one item that remained unclear after the pilot test (n ¼ 20) and finally compiled the questionnaire.…”