Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T16:44:38.499Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Earthquake Preparedness and Knowledge of Recommended Self-Protective Actions: A Survey of Nursing Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2021

Bernadette M. Longo
Bernadette M. Longo*
Affiliation:
Orvis School of Nursing, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
*
Corresponding author: Bernadette Longo, Email: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Nurses are a vital workforce to the disaster response of an earthquake. The aim of this study was to assess preexisting knowledge in baccalaureate nursing students about disaster preparedness and self-protective behavioral responses during an earthquake.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional survey of nursing students from a seismologically active region was conducted. Data were collected prior to earthquake preparedness education and ShakeOut drills designed to enhance personal safety.

Results:

A total of 274 nursing students participated in the survey (response rate – 93%). More than half (57%) of respondents did not feel prepared for an earthquake; 88% were without a household emergency plan and 82% lacked emergency supplies. Self-protective actions of drop, cover, and hold on and stay in bed were accurately identified by 77% and 96% of respondents, respectively. Hazardous actions selected included stand in a doorway (77% of respondents) and go outside into the street (23% of respondents).

Conclusions:

These results demonstrate a lack of personal disaster preparedness in nursing students and several behavioral responses that do not promote self-preservation during seismic activity. Although existing baccalaureate nursing education addresses competencies for disaster care, actions are needed to develop curriculum that emphasizes preparedness and safety to regional environmental hazards.

Keywords

disaster preparedness and responsedisaster simulationearthquakesnursing studentspreparedness campaigns
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 495 - 499
Copyright
© 2021 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Jones, LM, Bernknopf, R, Cox, D, et al. The ShakeOut scenario: U.S. Geological Survey open-file report 2008-1150 and California Geological Survey preliminary report 25;2008. https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/ 1150/. Accessed March 7, 2020.Google Scholar
ShakeOut. Great ShakeOut earthquake drills. 2020. https://www.shakeout.org/. Accessed March 7, 2020.Google Scholar
American Nurses Association. Who will be there? Ethics, the law, and a nurse’s duty to respond in a disaster. ANA Issue Brief. 2017. https://www.nursingworld.org/˜4ad845/globalassets/docs/ana/who-will-be-there_disaster-preparedness_2017.pdf. Accessed March 7, 2020.Google Scholar
Kalanlar, B. Effects of disaster nursing education on nursing students’ knowledge and preparedness for disasters. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct. 2018;28:475–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.12.008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, CK, Davis, JM, Sanders, JL, et al. Exploring nursing students’ level of preparedness for disaster response. Nurs Educ Perspect. 2011;32(6):380–383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapira, S, Aharonson-Daniel, L, Bar-Dayan, Y, et al. Knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and willingness to report to work in an earthquake: a pilot study comparing Canadian versus Israeli hospital nursing staff. Int Emerg Nurs. 2016;25:7–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2015.06.007 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. October 20, 2008. http://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/BaccEssentials08.pdf. Accessed March 25, 2020.Google Scholar
The Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2017 National Household Survey results. December 2018. https://community.fema.gov/AP_Survey_Story_PDF. Accessed March 7, 2020.Google Scholar
McBride, SK, Becker, JS, Johnston, DM. Exploring the barriers for people taking protective actions during the 2012 and 2015 New Zealand ShakeOut drills. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct. 2019;37:101150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitney, DJ, Lindell, MK, Nguyen, HD. Earthquake beliefs and adoption of seismic hazard adjustments. Risk Anal. 2004;24:87–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0272-4332.2004.00414.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed