The Effectiveness of Disaster Education for Nurses and Other Health Care Professionals: A Systematic Review

Pertiwi, Harizza (2015) The Effectiveness of Disaster Education for Nurses and Other Health Care Professionals: A Systematic Review. Masters thesis, Monash University.

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Abstract

Introduction Training, drills, and other types of disaster education are designed to increase the disaster preparedness of nurses and other health care professionals. However, the effectiveness of those types of education has yet to be verified. The aim of this study is to systematically identify, select, appraise and review the literature to determine the best available evidence related to the effectiveness of disaster education for nurses and other health care professionals. Search Strategy Peer reviewed literature was searched through four databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and ERIC and the inclusion criteria were English language, full-text only, and published from 2001 to 2014. Inclusion criteria for the study were Registered Nurses working nurses independently or in a team with other health care professionals. Also included were studies with quantitative design to measure objectively the impact of disaster education. Through the search process, five studies were found and subject to quality appraisal. After the quality appraisal process, the researchers decided to include the five studies in the review. Results The effectiveness of disaster education in this review was determined by the evaluation of the evidence on competence, confidence and willingness to respond to a disaster, appropriateness of statistical analysis, and the influence of research method on the intervention outcome. Multiple educational interventions used to deliver educational content were evident in the included studies. Questionnaire was the evaluation tool used in all of the studies. All of the studies reported a significant improvement in knowledge score after intervention, acknowledging the range of methodologies and limitations. Two studies reported a high level of confidence after the intervention took place. However, the evaluation of the concepts of competence and willingness to respond to a disaster was not revealed in the studies. Positions and professions of the participants in their respective workplaces were not a significant factor in the evaluation score. Conclusion Disaster education may improve nurses and health care professionals’ knowledge, (an essential element of competence) and confidence. However, the available evidence does not adequately report the effectiveness of interventions for improvement of competence (as a whole) and willingness to respond to a disaster. This is due to the evaluation processes in the included studies which placed greater emphasis on knowledge improvement alone, without comprehensive evaluation of competence. Furthermore, most of the educational interventions were designed specifically for local needs. Further research is recommended regarding disaster preparedness of nurses and other health care professionals that includes learning needs assessment and evaluation of learning retention. A study design that includes a comparison group would add rigour. Research is also required to determine if there is a relationship between improved score in a single disaster education and better performance in responding to a disaster. Finally, research in the area of education and willingness to respond will be important since it is already known that there is a relationship between willingness to respond, culture and the type of disaster.

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