Understanding the difficulties of sharing knowledge generated from disaster situations is essential to allow for a better process of disseminating the “lessons learned” from the ongoing natural and man-made situations which result in healthcare crises.

To explore nurses ways of gaining knowledge from previous experiences, with a particular focus on earthquakes and natural disasters in the New Zealand (NZ) setting.

Initial analysis of a series of individual, semi-structured interviews with a small group (n=10) of emergency department registered nurses from a range of geographical areas in NZ.

While familiar with the major earthquake events that have recently affected different areas of NZ (most notably Canterbury, Kaikoura, and Wellington), few could recall detailed information or lessons generated from these events. When asked about the most effective means of learning about and from disasters, the direct experience was identified as the most effective, followed by narrative retelling and vicarious experience.

Recognition of the value of “story-telling” in sharing information, and of the importance of offering experiences in a way that allows colleagues to experience or place themselves in the situation in a “virtual” sense is necessary for learning to occur. This involves an emotional as well as an intellectual connection to occur. There is a risk for knowledge to be lost, and lessons to be constantly “re-learned,” as each succeeding generation needs direct involvement to retain the information and insight generated. We need to tailor the medium by which this information is shared, for maximum effect.