The development of a thought-through disaster management plan is essential to proper and immediate response in emergency situations. Human lives and safety depend on the disaster management cycle, which is improved and facilitated under the Healthy People 2020 objectives (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2016). Nurses play a pivotal role in addressing disasters, both human-made and natural, since they are professionally trained to respond quickly and competently to the health challenges imposed by an emergency. In a scenario of an earthquake, nursing staff must be aware of the stages of disaster management and disaster preparedness in particular.
An earthquake is a natural disaster that might induce significant material and health damage by its destructing forces. In managing earthquake cases, nurses should follow the four stages of disaster management, namely prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2016). However, preparedness predetermines the effectiveness of all the consecutive stages in the cycle. The essential steps of nursing disaster preparedness include personal preparedness, professional preparedness, and community preparedness. According to Stanhope and Lancaster (2016), the personal preparedness of nurses is a stepping stone of disaster management since the ability of healthcare professionals to preserve their safety and functioning helps save the lives of the community. Professional preparedness entails the knowledge, awareness, and practical skills necessary to ensure the safe evacuation of people in an earthquake and provide competent and timely health care through triage and proper management. Finally, community preparedness also depends on the competencies of nurses since it includes healthcare-informed response planning and coordination of all involved stakeholders (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2016). Thus, preparedness is an essential element in the disaster management cycle, the role of nurses in which is crucial.
In summation, nurses’ preparedness to respond to a disaster predetermines the success of the rescuing operations and the well-being and survival rate of the victims. In the case of an earthquake, nurses must ensure personal preparedness, professional preparedness, and community preparedness. These steps will allow for proper planning of response to emergency and smooth implementation of the planned rescuing and healthcare procedures aimed to save people’s lives.
Reference
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2016). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (9th ed.). Elsevier Mosby.