An examination of nurses' perception of disaster preparedness and the influencing factors

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the perception of disaster preparedness and the influencing factors among nurses working in primary and secondary healthcare institutions in the province of Mardin. Material and Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between November and December 2023 with 316 nurses selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form and the Disaster Preparedness Perception Scale. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests such as the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Results: The mean total score of the nurses on the Disaster Preparedness Perception Scale was 3.70±0.59, indicating that, overall, the nurses had a moderate level of preparedness. Among the subdimensions of the scale, the highest mean score was in the preparedness phase (4.17±0.84), while the lowest was in the response phase (3.35±0.71). The mean score for the post-disaster phase was 3.58±0.73. Nurses working in primary healthcare institutions had higher scores in the preparedness phase, whereas those in secondary healthcare institutions had higher scores in the response phase (p<0.05). In addition, nurses who worked in emergency departments, were familiar with the concept of disasters, had received disaster training (especially of longer duration), had experienced a real disaster, participated in disaster drills, felt prepared for disasters, wanted to receive disaster training, and were aware of their roles in disasters (particularly as consultants and caregivers) were found to have significantly higher perceptions of disaster preparedness (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that nurses feel more active and competent in pre-disaster planning, information acquisition, and preparedness processes; however, they perceive themselves as less competent during disaster response and post-disaster recovery phases. Based on these results, it is recommended to enhance nurses' knowledge and skills related to disasters by increasing the provision of comprehensive education on disaster nursing, organizing regular drills, and ensuring the effective implementation of disaster management plans within healthcare institutions.