Reflecting on the Challenges encountered by nurses at the great Earthquake in the West of Iran: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: in Iran, it has experienced an enormous number of earthquake disasters during the past three decades. Nurses are the largest group of health systems that play a crucial role in handling disasters. Therefore, this study was aimed to explore the nursing challenges to provide care to the injured patients of the earthquake of Kermanshah-Iran. Methods: This study was conducted as a qualitative content analysis. Data collection was carried out through 16 semi‑structured and in‑depth interviews with the nurses involved in the care of the earthquake victims. Data were managed using MAXQDA software and analyzed by Graneheim and Lundman’s approach.Results: in this study, fourteen subcategories, and five categories have emerged from 453 codes. The categories were: (a) organizational and managerial challenges; (b) human resources; (c) infrastructure; (d) educational system; and (e) ethical challenges.Conclusion: The results showed that nurses confronted with several challenges in the care of earthquake victims. It appears better educational management and planning of nurses, infrastructure reform, and establishment of a crisis team among national nurses are necessary to overcome the challenges.