THE ROLE OF A NURSE IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT AT KAPSABET DISTRICT HOSPITAL: A GLOBAL HEALTH CONCERN.

Abstract

A disaster is a catastrophic incident that commonly leads to immense damage and devastation. Whether the cause of the event is natural or man-made, the outcomes can be shocking (Coppla, 2011). Preparedness is one of the major components of disaster response. Nurses comprise the largest healthcare workgroup in most countries and are at the forefront of the healthcare response to disasters. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of nurses in disaster management at Kapsabet District Hospital. A cross sectional survey was conducted. The study population consisted of nurses working at District Hospital in Nandi Country. Kenya. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on nurses’ levels of awareness regarding disaster preparedness, their attitudes on disaster management plans and drills, and the nurses’ current practices regarding disaster preparedness. 61 nurses were given questionnaires to fill, 35 questionnaires were filled and returned. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise and analyse data into frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that 74.3% knew what disaster was. 57.1% understood what disaster preparedness involved while 40% on the nurses understood their role in disaster drill. 86% reported that disaster planning was for few people in the hospital.68% and 80% of the nurses reported that disaster drills and training were not done frequent respectively. The research recommended that hospital management should ensure disaster plans are in locations accessible to all health personnel and that there should be regular training and drills for the purposes of disaster preparedness.