HOW CAN NURSES PROVIDE SUPPORT AFTER A DISASTER?
A disaster is a consequence of an unfortunate event which could either be an accident, natural calamities and tragedies. They affect the environment through physical destructions, injuries to human beings and also cause loss of lives. Disasters are usually categorized into two:
- Natural disaster- These are the geological natural events that basically cause distractions, loss of property and life. Examples of natural disasters are floods and earthquakes.
- Manmade disaster- these include the kind of tragedies caused by human beings, terrorist attacks, shootings and also accidents caused in industries.
Today, the level of frequencies of disasters has increased globally and the need for disaster preparedness encouraged. Nurses have always been on the frontline when it comes to disasters and therefore this has called for proper reinforcement and to have adequate information, knowledge and skills to prepare for such times. Nurses should always be prepared for disaster; this is by organizing equipment’s, staffs and protective clothing.
In medical emergency departments, nurses play a major role in planning, organizing and expedite the medical team which include doctors, lab technicians, radiology team and control the flow of patients based on the level of physical injuries. They are highly qualified to manage different kinds of emergencies as they are able to triage victims and prioritize on those who are critical.
In this case, people should take measures in order to prepare for disaster so as to reduce the level of damage, effects and consequences from their occurrence. These can basically be implemented by proper communication from the emergency teams, proper planning in order to effectively handle the activities required to impact the affected individuals.
Nurses have many roles when it comes to disaster management, they include:
Preparedness for disasters is very vital. This includes assessing the possible risks and managing them in the most strategic ways. This is to ensure that effective responses are implemented in medical emergencies in a critical manner that will help achieve the best health levels of those affected.
Nurses are always at the forefront when disasters occur. They ensure this by prioritizing proper communication among the medical team, sending and receiving responses that communicate clear messages that will enable them to save lives.
Nurses play a very major role in taking care of the injured victims and also help give emotional support to them, their families and friends who might not been able to process what has occurred.
How to respond after a disaster has happened is very crucial. This is because they will determine what situations need assistance and back-up, which of those need social services from the community and other instances help from Red Cross. Knowing what will work and what won’t work also plays a major role.
Challenges Faced By Nurses Providing Support during Disasters.
Nurses have been acting a major role in disaster response and level of preparedness in our society, but they normally face some challenges which make it difficult for them to provide proper and adequate support to the community affected by disasters. Short staffing has been one of the major challenges when disasters happen in our societies. These tragedies happen unexpectedly; therefore they require a quick response in order to prevent massive loss of lives. This needs enough nurses to provide adequate care to the patients and help them manage the trauma.