Disaster preparedness and disaster preparedness perceptions and resilience levels of nurses

Introduction and Objectives: The acceptance of disaster preparedness and response as a part of the knowledge and skills of all nurses has been emphasised by the International Council of Nurses. In this study, it was aimed to determine nurses' perceptions of disaster preparedness and psychological resilience levels. Materials and Methods: The study involved 400 nurses working at Edirne Sultan 1. Murat State Hospital and Trakya University Health Research and Application Center. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a questionnaire that included demographic information, the Nurses' Perception of Disaster Preparedness Scale (NPDPS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Institutional permissions and ethics committee approval were obtained before starting the study. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows 20,0. Results: The average age of the participating nurses was 32,29±7,12, with 73% holding a bachelor's degree, 69% expressing satisfaction in their profession, and 67,5% having experienced a disaster situation. Eighty-five percent of the nurses had received disaster-related training, and 72% considered themselves partially prepared for disasters. The mean total score of the participants was 78,64±9,47 and the mean scale scores of the nurses who had postgraduate education, received disaster training and enjoyed their profession were found to be significantly higher. However, nurses scored lower on the intervention subscale of the scale. The average CD-RISC score was 62,84±16,43, with significantly higher scores for nurses who loved their profession, felt prepared for disasters, experienced loss in any disaster, and had a chronic illness. A moderate positive correlation was found between the HAHAÖ Scale and CD-PBS total scores (r= 0,464, p<0,001). Conclusion: It was determined that the disaster preparedness perception of the nurses was good and their psychological resilience was at a moderate level. As the disaster preparedness perception of nurses increases, their psychological resilience also increases. Keywords: Disaster, disaster management, disaster preparedness, nurse, psychological resilience