Evaluating the willingness and ability of nurses in response to disaster events: A cross-sectional study

Background. It is essential to identify influential motivational factors to create willingness and improve skills in health staff, especially nurses. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the willingness and ability of nurses to deal with different disasters in some hospitals of Tehran, Iran.

Methods. This cross-sectional study used a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of three parts: 1) demographic questions, 2) questions indicating the level of nurses' willingness and the ability to respond to various disasters, and 3) questions about obstacles for working in disasters.

Results. A total of 308 questionnaires were completed. While 60.7% of respondents were male, 39.3% were female. The level of willingness and ability of participants to work in disasters indicated that the highest willingness and ability were associated with natural disasters (floods, earthquakes), and the lowest willingness and ability were related to participating in response to epidemics. The prioritization of the participants concerning the most critical barriers of appropriate response to the disasters demonstrated that caring for children in natural disasters and mass casualty incident, family health in chemical disasters, fear of contamination in nuclear disasters, and fear of infection in an epidemic were the main obstacles. The factors of gender, age, marital status, and health level of individuals affected the level of willingness and ability of participants. Besides, the parameters, including income level and caring for the elderly and disabled people influenced the willingness of nurses to participate in times of crisis.

Conclusion. The professional preparation of health care personnel to perform their duties in critical conditions is essential. Hence, preventive measures to minimize the risk and strengthen the ethical obligations of employees in this profession in crises will be beneficial.

Practical Implications. The findings of this study provide an opportunity to strengthen the ability and willingness of health care workers to address barriers to intervention in times of crisis. Also, health care centers should support the staff caring for children, the elderly, and disabled people.