Introduction to EpiNurse: Emerging Care, Communication, and Health Monitoring in Nepal

Abstract

AbstractDisaster risk is the potential loss expressed in lives, health status, livelihoods, assets, and services, which could occur in a particular community or a society due to the impact of a natural hazard. Disaster can lead to a loss in lives, livelihoods, and health and severely impact the economic, physical, social, cultural, and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities, and countries. All disasters are a health issue, impacting the health of the population and bringing about substantial losses and disruption to health systems. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is essential for sustainable social and economic development. In 2015 the United Nations released the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda for SDGs recognizes and reaffirms the urgent need to reduce the risk of disasters. The Sendai Framework for DRR 2015–2030 highlights the concern on human health and well-being that are common to DRR, climate change, and sustainable development (Sendai Framework for DRR 2015–2030). Sendai Framework and SDGs are frequently interlinked.Health has a central place in SDG 3 among 17 goals. SDG 3 states to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Other SDGs such as education, food, water, sanitation, environmental gender discrimination, and abuse are social determinants of health that are also linked with health of people. With the additional knowledge and skills of epidemiology, and DRR, EpiNurse can play an important role to achieve these SDGs. Since EpiNurse seeks to help people to achieve optimum health, their work has a significant impact on SDGs.The Nepal Government has also set the targets and indicators for SDGs. The proposed SDG 3 targets include reduction of maternal mortality rate to less than 70 per 100 thousand live births, reduction of preventable death of newborn and children to less than one percent, and almost elimination of the prevalence of HIV, TB, malaria and other tropical diseases, and waterborne diseases by 2030. To achieve these targets of SDGs in Nepal, the role of EpiNurse nurses is crucial while disasters exist. EpiNurse refers to local nurses who perform epidemiological surveillance and care to ensure human health security and communicate with health authorities on the health status of communities during and after disasters. The aim of EpiNurse is to identify the potential health threats associated with different kinds of disasters in the community; and reduce such health risks as much as possible by using information and communication technology (ICT) based on the Sendai Framework for DRR. Participatory health assessment and monitoring, providing direct care, epidemiological surveillance and reporting, and communicating to authorities to ensure health security are the main roles of EpiNurse. The incorporation of ICT and epidemiological approach with nursing is an innovative approach. This approach can play an important role to meet the SDG targets. The aim of this article is to discuss the EpiNurse, emerging care, communication, and health monitoring during disasters.KeywordsEpiNurseDisasterEpidemiological surveillanceSDGHEDRM