Nurses’ Perceived and Actual Preparedness for Disasters

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The aim of this study was to determine the preparedness and preparedness perception of nurses against disasters. This study was carried out in the hospitals of Gümüşhane Provincial Health Directorate between 01/11/2014 - 24/11/2015 as a cross-sectional study. The universe of the study consisted of 226 nurses working in the clinics of Gümüşhane Public Hospitals Association affiliated hospitals. The entire universe was included without using any sampling method. The study was completed with 171 nurses. “Personal Information Form and “Perception of Disaster Preparedness Scale in Nurses” were used to collect data. Data were collected between December 2014 - January 2015. Nurses had moderate perception according to the perception of disaster preparedness scale. It was found that those who had the highest perception in the disaster response phase were the nurses working in the intensive care + operating room. In addition, preparedness perceptions of nurses participating in disaster drills were found to be higher than non-participants. It was concluded that the nurses' perceptions of disaster preparedness were moderate. It is recommended that nurses' perceptions of preparedness against disasters must be kept high by providing adequate and regular trainings and drills on disaster preparedness.