Disaster Nursing Competencies Research Articles

Development and Effect of a Simulation-Based Disaster Nursing Education Program for Nursing Students Using Standardized Patients.

Disaster nursing deploys professional nursing knowledge and skills systematically to reduce disaster-related risks to life and health. Disaster nursing education requires providing simulations using standardized patients. The purpose of this study was to develop, based on the International Council of Nurses' Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies, a simulation-based disaster nursing education program for nursing students that employed standardized patients. A nonequivalent, control group, pretest-and-posttest design was used. Participants were senior nursing students from two universities, with 70 assigned to the experimental group, 35 assigned to the comparison group, and 35 assigned to the control group. Data were collected from January 25 to April 3, 2019. The simulation-based disaster nursing education program consisted of a 60-minute theoretical lecture on disaster management and two scenarios. The effectiveness of the simulation-based disaster nursing education program was measured using levels of disaster nursing competencies, disaster triage competency, disaster preparedness, critical thinking disposition, and confidence in disaster nursing. Significant differences were found between the experimental and comparison/control groups in terms of disaster nursing competencies ( F = 20.06, p < .001), nursing triage ( F = 17.35, p < .001), disaster preparedness ( F = 60.37, p < .001), critical thinking disposition ( F = 19.63, p < .001), and confidence in disaster nursing ( F = 20.24, p < .001). Simulation-based disaster nursing education programs using standardized patients can be useful in disaster nursing education. They can contribute to future changes in nursing education and practice by improving the disaster nursing capabilities and preparedness of students.

Development of a Learning Support System for Acquiring Disaster Nursing Competencies Required in the Acute Phase of Disaster

Introduction:The purpose of this study is to develop a disaster nursing learning support system and a list of learning contents developed by our team to effectively and efficiently acquire the necessary disaster nursing competencies in the acute phase of disasters.Method:As the first step, based on the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies, we examined the teaching materials using nine competencies extracted through prior literature, interviews with disaster nursing practitioners and reviews of disaster nursing experts. Next, we extracted learning contents that are considered difficult to learn in daily work from textbooks used in disaster relief nurse training. We gained new information on disasters using interviews with experts and internet search review literature.Results:Educational materials, including links to five open access sites, a summary of basic knowledge and original videos (case reports on dispatching disaster relief nurses, lectures on evacuation center management by experts, triage using the START-method and the PAT-method, psychological first aid, handling medical records and J-SPEED+ apps), were implemented. A test as an entry point for learning, a rubric to check current learning achievement, learning confirmation tests for each competency, a forum as a place for exchanging opinions among the learning community and an automatic certificate issuance system were set up.Conclusion:Disaster nursing is an extension of daily nursing, and many matters can be learned in daily work. There are few things that general clinical nurses should learn in addition as this study showed. However, it is inferred that it is not easy to select and update the knowledge and information that nurses need from the abundance of data available in the information society.It is meaningful to have a learning support system that allows nurses at medical institutions that are expected to collaborate in the event of an emergency to learn together during the silent phase.

Nurses’ roles, knowledge and experience in national disaster pre-paredness and emergency response: A literature review

Aim: Nurses play a central role in disaster preparedness and management, as well as in emergency response, in many countries over the world. Care in a disaster environment is different from day-to-day nursing care and nurses have special needs during a disaster. However, disaster nursing education is seldom provided and a lack of curricula exists in many countries around the world. The aim of this literature review is to provide an overview of nurses’ roles, knowledge and experience in national disaster preparedness and emergency response.&#x0D; Methods: An electronic search was conducted using multiple literature databases. All items were included, regardless of the publication year. All abstracts were screened for relevance and a synthesis of evidence of relevant articles was undertaken. Relevant information was extracted, summarized and categorized. Out of 432 reviewed references, information of 68 articles was included in this review.&#x0D; Results: The sub-themes of the first main theme (a) roles of nurses during emergency response include the expectations of the hospital and the public, general and special roles of nurses, assignments of medical tasks, special role during a pandemic influenza, role conflicts during a disaster, willingness to respond to a disaster. For (b) disaster preparedness knowledge of nurses, the corresponding sub-themes include the definition of a disaster, core competencies and curriculum, undergraduate nursing education and continuing education programs, disaster drills, training and exercises, preparedness. The sub-themes for the last theme (c) disaster experiences of nurses include the work environment, nursing care, feelings, stressors, willingness to respond as well as lessons learned and impacts.&#x0D; Conclusion: There is consensus in the literature that nurses are key players in emergency response. However, no clear mandate for nurses exists concerning their tasks during a disaster. For a nurse, to be able to respond to a disaster, personal and professional preparedness, in terms of education and training, are central. The Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies of the WHO and ICN, broken down into national core competencies, will serve as a sufficient complement to the knowledge and skills of nurses already acquired through basic nursing curricula. During and after a disaster, attention should be applied to the work environment, feelings and stressors of nurses, not only to raise the willingness to respond to a disaster. Where non-existent, national directives and concepts for disaster nursing should be developed and nurses should be aware of their duties. Nursing educators should prepare nurses for disasters, by adjusting the curricula and by meeting the increased need for education and training in disaster nursing for all groups of nurses. The appropriateness of theoretical and practical preparation of disaster nursing competencies in undergraduate nursing courses and continuing education programmes should be evaluated.

Development, Psychometric Testing, and Use of a Disaster Nursing Competency Scale in Iran: A Mixed Methods Study.

Nurses play an important role during disaster response and recovery. Few tools are available to assess the relative competence of nurses in disaster. This study aimed to develop, test, and evaluate a disaster nursing competency scale. This was an exploratory mixed methods study. In the qualitative phase, 35 Iranian nurses and managers with experience in disaster relief were asked about the skills they need to respond effectively to a disaster event. From the qualitative data, a 50-item questionnaire was developed. In the quantitative phase, exploratory factor analysis was conducted with 400 samples followed by a test-retest reliability assessment with 30 nurses. The developed and validated instrument was applied to 200 nurses in Iran to assess their competency. From content analysis of the qualitative data, 5 main themes emerged. In the quantitative phase, exploratory factor analysis loaded 50 items into 4 domains named management, legal and ethical, specific personal, and technical competence. Use of the tool showed that nurses estimated their competence overall at 70.28%. Findings demonstrate the necessity for new domains in disaster nursing competencies; which may be applicable as a useful tool and guideline to improve nursing education and practice.

Nurses' core disaster-response competencies for combating COVID-19-A cross-sectional study.

The core competencies in disaster nursing, nurses’ roles in disaster management and the potential barriers are assessed with a view to developing disaster nursing in Slovenia. Despite training and experience, many indicators show nurses are deficient in skills involving emergency and disaster-preparedness competencies. Nurses report little familiarity with disaster-planning skills, the implementation of disaster guidelines and assessment of patients subject to a disaster circumstance. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted based on data collected through an online survey. 118 registered nurses from different clinical settings in Slovenia participated in the study. Data were collected according to the Slovenian version of the Disaster Nursing Core Competencies Scale (Sl-DNCC-Scale). The scale was limited to a 7-point Likert response format (from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). The results show the registered nurses perceive the core competencies of disaster nursing to be important to their preparedness for disaster situations (median = 161; range 74–189). Registered nurses who work in nursing homes and nurse managers are more aware of the importance of acquiring the listed competencies for unexpected events (p = 0.011 and 0.060 respectively) and the importance of their active role in disaster management (p = 0.027 and p = 0.004, respectively). To effectively deal with a disaster, nurses must be well prepared for unexpected events and more actively involved in disaster management. This study demonstrates that nurses regard the core disaster nursing competencies as important and greatly needed in various healthcare facilities. Future studies in this area should focus on ways to implement these competencies in nursing education.

Relationship Between Nurses' Decision-Making Style and Their Disaster Response Competencies.

Nurses are the first respondents to the critical situations and therefore must be able to effectively manage the critical situations using their competencies. Given that the decision-making style under the stressful critical situations is an important component of the care process in these situations, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between decision-making style and nurses' disaster response competencies.This descriptive, analytical study was conducted in Shahr-e Kord city in 2018. A total of 300 nurses were selected from Ayatollah Kashani and Hajar hospitals by multistage sampling and from the Emergency Medical Services Center by the census method. Data were collected using the Disaster Nursing Competence Assessment and the decision-making style questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS 21 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY).Most of the nurses used the intuitive decision-making style and the total score of disaster nursing competencies was 162.58 ± 22.70. Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated that there was a positive relation between decision-making style and nurses' disaster response competencies.The results show that decision-making style affects nurses' competencies for disaster response and provides evidence for the development of educational policies in disaster nursing education.

Development and Psychometric Testing of a Tool Measuring Nurses’ Competence for Disaster Response

IntroductionThere is a growing awareness among governments, communities, and health care agencies of the need to evaluate roles and competencies in disaster nursing. A validated instrument was developed to evaluate nurses’ competencies for disaster response. MethodsA psychometric evaluation study was developed in 2 stages: 1) content and face validity, and 2) verification of feasibility and reliability with test-retest. Competencies were extracted from the Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies published by the International Council of Nurses. The participants included 8 experts in emergencies and disasters who were nurses with a PhD and had more than 2 years of experience with education or clinical practice in emergencies or disasters, and 326 nurses from a mobile emergency care service in southern Brazil. The data analysis used a content validity index and intraclass correlation coefficients. The psychometric properties of the instrument included reliability assessed with Cronbach alpha, feasibility and test-retest reliability assessed with t tests and intraclass correlation coefficients, and factor analysis. ResultsThe overall evaluation of the instrument yielded an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.92 (SD = 0.04), and the mean content validity index was acceptable at 0.88 (SD = 0.12). Out of 51 items, 41 were validated and organized in 3 domains according to factor analysis: 1) care of the community; 2) care of the individual and family; and 3) psychological support and care of vulnerable populations. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.96) and adequate test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.7). DiscussionThe Nurses’ Disaster Response Competencies Assessment Questionnaire showed good internal consistency, adequate reproducibility, and appropriate feasibility for use to evaluate nurses’ competencies for disaster response.

Disaster Nursing: Trends in the Professional Literature

Introduction:Nurses’ broad knowledge and treatment skills are instrumental to disaster management. Roles, responsibilities, and practice take on additional dimensions to their regular roles during these times. Despite this crucial position, the literature indicates a gap between their actual work in emergencies and the investment in training and establishing response plans.Aim:To explore trends in disaster nursing reflected in professional literature, link these trends to current disaster nursing competencies and standards, and reflect based on the literature how nursing can better contribute to disaster management.Methods:A systematic literature review, conducted using six electronic databases, and examination of peer-reviewed English journal articles. Selected publications were examined to explore the domains of disaster nursing: policy, education, practice, research. Additional considerations were the scope of the paper: local, national, regional, or international. The International Nursing Councils’ (ICN) Disaster-Nursing competencies are examined in this context.Results:The search yielded 171 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Articles were published between 2001 and 2018, showing an annual increase. Of the articles, 48% (n = 82) were research studies and 12% (n = 20) were defined as dealing with management issues. Classified by domain, 48% (n = 82) dealt with practical implications of disaster nursing and 35% (n = 60) discussed educational issues. Only 11% of the papers reviewed policy matters, and of these, two included research. Classified by scope, about 11% (n =18) had an international perspective.Discussion:Current standards attribute a greater role to disaster-nursing in leadership in disaster preparedness, particularly from a policy perspective. However, this study indicates that only about 11% of publications reviewed policy issues and management matters. A high percentage of educational publications discuss the importance of including disaster nursing issues in the curricula. In order to advance this area, there is a need to conduct dedicated studies.

Development of a Disaster Nursing Competencies Assessment Instrument for Baccalaureate Nursing Education.

Nursing education must prepare graduates for disasters. The purpose of this study was to develop a list of critical disaster nursing competencies to be assessed as part of baccalaureate nursing education. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) and World Health Organization (WHO) Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies was used to develop an online survey. RNs with experience in disaster nursing and disaster education were asked to divide the disaster competencies into two categories-baccalaureate/entry-level or master's/doctorate-advanced practice level. The results were analyzed using one-sample binomial test. Sixty-five RNs completed the online survey. Fifteen (12%) of the ICN and WHO disaster competencies were categorized as more appropriate for master's/doctorate nursing education. This project has developed a list of disaster nursing competencies for use by baccalaureate nursing programs, as well as a list of competencies specific for community and public health nurse educators. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(4):229-233.].

Disaster Nursing Development in China and Other Countries: ABibliometric Study.

China is a country with frequent disasters, and nurses play indispensable roles in the disaster process. The Chinese disaster nursing specialty developed with several deficiencies. This study aimed to identify the limitations in the development of disaster nursing in China and to provide a reference for the future by comparing relevant studies between China and other countries. A systematic literature review was conducted in English and Chinese databases to identify disaster nursing articles published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2016. This study followed the systematic literature collection tactic and bibliometric method. Basic information such as country, number of publications, and discussed disaster types were described through frequency distributions. Article themes were extracted and divided into the four phases of the International Council of Nurses Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. 1,384 articles were included in the analysis, containing 781 written in Chinese and 603 written in English (with 56 of them written by Chinese researchers). The number of Chinese disaster nursing articles and other publications increased sharply between 2007 and 2009 but dropped significantly afterwards, while the total number of articles in other countries fluctuated, with a general upward trend. Compared to other countries, there were fewer research methods used and less focus on disaster prevention and preparedness in China, an imbalanced focus on disaster types, and a lack of focus on prevention, preparedness, and recovery phases. In China, there is a lack of stable development of disaster nursing research, a lack of study types, and less focus on disaster prevention, preparedness, and recovery. Varied study methods and an increased focus on disaster prevention and preparedness are required in the future. This study analyzed the deficiencies in Chinese disaster nursing, which led to recommendations and proposed directions for future studies and a clinical focus in this field, in compliance with the United Nations guidelines for disaster management.

Critiquing Disaster Nursing Competencies in Relation to International Standards Writhing Resilient Health Care System in Saudi Arabia

Critiquing Disaster Nursing Competencies in Relation to International Standards Writhing Resilient Health Care System in Saudi Arabia

Disaster Nursing Knowledge and Competencies Among Nursing University Students Participated in Relief Activities Following the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes.

ObjectiveThis study examined disaster nursing knowledge and competencies among university nursing students who participated in relief activities following the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.MethodsParticipants were university nursing students involved in disaster relief activities. Of the 260 individuals to whom a self-report questionnaire was distributed at nursing universities and hospitals located in Kyushu, southwestern Japan, 201 participants returned the questionnaires by mail (response rate 77.3%), of which 108 questionnaires were complete (valid response rate 41.5%). Questions involved experiences related to their volunteer activities, their motive for volunteering, type of relief activities performed, and use of disaster nursing knowledge and competencies.ResultsWe identified four categories of disaster nursing competencies: “understanding and implementation of assistance to victims in collaboration with other members of the disaster response team,” “understanding the natural disaster’s influence on victims,” “ethical practice in a disaster recovery area,” and “understanding of their role within the disaster relief organization.” Those who had completed a disaster nursing program had superior measures of performance across all four competencies compared with those who had not yet completed the program.ConclusionsFour domains of disaster nursing knowledge and competencies used by university nursing students during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake relief activities were identified. Those who had completed a disaster nursing program had higher competencies than were those who were either currently or not yet enrolled in it.

Contextualize of Disaster Nursing Competencies within Resilient Health Care System in Saudi Arabia

Contextualize of Disaster Nursing Competencies within Resilient Health Care System in Saudi Arabia

Perception and Core Competencies of Disaster Nursing in South Korea

Background: A descriptive correlational study was conducted to investigate the disaster-related experience, perception, and core competency of nurses in South Korea. Methods: Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire given to 163 nurses working in tertiary hospitals in Seoul, Korea. The questionnaire was developed based on the frame of Disaster Nursing Competencies by International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Emergency Preparedness Questionnaire (EPIQ). Results: In a 5-point scale, the awareness of nurses for disaster events, and the importance of education for disaster nursing were 3.93 ± 0.91 and 3.63 ± 0.93, respectively. Among ICN core competencies on perceived importance in disaster nursing, “Risk reduction, disease prevention and health promotion and psychological care” was scored highest, whereas “Policy development and planning, communication and information sharing” was the lowest. The higher level of awareness of a disaster was related to the higher level of perceived importance of education. Conclusion: The results support that the level of awareness of a disaster is a factor affecting the importance of education in disaster nursing. Thus, educational programs focusing on practical topics in disaster nursing should be developed for continuous training to increase the core competency and the understanding of disaster nursing.

Review of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN; Geneva, Switzerland) and the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM; Madison, Wisconsin USA) joined together in 2014 to review the use of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. The existing ICN Framework (version 1.10; dated 2009) formed the starting point for this review. The key target audiences for this process were members of the disaster nursing community concerned with pre-service education for professional nursing and the continuing education of practicing professional nurses. To minimize risk in the disaster nursing practice, competencies have been identified as the foundation of evidence-based practice and standard development. A Steering Committee was established by the WADEM Nursing Section to discuss how to initiate a review of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. The Steering Committee then worked via email to develop a survey to send out to disaster/emergency groups that may have nurse members who work/respond in disasters. Thirty-five invitations were sent out with 20 responses (57%) received. Ninety-five percent of respondents knew of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies, with the majority accessing these competencies via the Internet. The majority of those who responded said that they make use of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies with the most common use being for educational purposes. Education was done at a local, national, and international level. The competencies were held in high esteem and valued by these organizations as the cornerstone of their disaster education, and also were used for the continued professional development of disaster nursing. However, respondents stated that five years on from their development, the competencies also should include the psychosocial elements of nurses caring for themselves and their colleagues. Additionally, further studies should explore if there are other areas related to the disaster nursing practice (in addition to psychosocial concerns) that may be missing or not fully developed. Finally, the authors of this report recommend that future research explore how the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies do or do not assist in maintaining best practices in this field and improve outcomes for victims of disaster. Hutton A , Veenema TG , Gebbie K . Review of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(6):680-683.

Thai Nurses' Learning Needs Regarding Disaster Nursing: High Needs?

Background: Disaster nursing has become a critical concern, worldwide, due to a trend toward management strategy. However, limited studies are conducted in Thailand where nurses have faced increasing threat to both natural and man-made disasters.Purpose: To describe the amounts of learning needs (both expressed and normative needs) regarding disaster nursing among Thai nurses.Methods: The sample included 454 registered nurses who have been working inThailand for at least six months selected through the multi-stage sampling methods. Data were collected using questionnaire included the Learning Needs Regarding Disaster Nursing Questionnaire (LNDNQ), developed based on the learning needs triangle model and the concept the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. The LNDNQ was tested for content validity by three experts and for reliability with 20 nurses using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient yielding a value of .97 (expressed needs), and .99 (normative needs), respectively. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics.Result: This study found that the top three contents of the most learning needs in expressed needs were similarly with the most normative needs which items were related to mitigation/prevention and response phase. The most learning needs they expressed were assisting and first aid for victims at the scene (n=229, 50.4%), followed by basic principle of triage (n=218, 48.0%), and training of the disaster nursing management plans (n=217, 47.80%). However, the top least expressed needs were related to mitigation/prevention and recovery/rehabilitation phase. These were providing an information for community with the notification, and announcement the severity level of disaster (n=32, 7.0%), followed by preparing and organizing the evacuation area for victims (n=37, 8.1%).Conclusion: The contents related to the most learning needs (expressed needs andnormative needs) regarding disaster nursing must be emphasized in training course and nursing curriculums in Thailand to improve Thai nurses' capability in disaster nursing management.

An Analytical Review of Disaster Nursing Competencies in Korea: 1995-2013

This study was performed to identify the areas of disaster nursing competencies that were examined in previous studies of disasternursing in Korea from 1995 to 2013 and to suggest a direction for further research. Data were retrieved from the Research Infor-mation Sharing Service (RISS) 2.0 and DBpia 6.1. The exclusion criteria were grey literature, non-peer-reviewed, and connected tovictims. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed, written in Korean, primary research papers, and those connected to nurses, nursingstudents, or curriculum. After reviewing 26 full-text articles, ten studies were analyzed by qualitative content analysis to categorizemethodological characteristics and the components of disaster nursing competencies based on the Hyogo Framework of Core Com-petencies Required for Disaster Nursing. The result were shown that various study designs and instruments were included. The frame-works on disaster nursing competencies were not concrete and differed among the research included. Most of the components of thedisaster nursing competencies that were investigated by these studies fell into Category II, which consists of the systematic assess-ment and provision of care, while the competencies in Category III, the category of the provision of care for vulnerable people andtheir families, were relatively neglected. Nurses and nursing students had low to moderate levels of disaster preparedness. Thereviewed studies did not fulfill global perspectives or comprehensively address disaster nursing competencies. Additional studies needto be performed by adopting international frameworks, including the ICN framework, and the Korean framework for disaster nursingcompetencies needs to be developed based on strong theoretical perspectives and strategies.

재난관련 국내 간호연구 동향 분석

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted in order to investigate the research trends of past nursing studies related to disasters in Korea, and to identify the direction of future research. Methods: Fifty studies conducted from July 1995 to June 2014 were analyzed according to general characteristics, disaster phase, disaster type, and research theme based on the four areas and 10 domains of the ICN Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. Results: The majority of studies were designed using quantitative methods (29). In disaster type, 12 studies explored natural disasters, and 14 explored manmade disasters. Disaster responders were the subject of 31 studies. In relation to research topics, the majority of studies were in the area of preparedness competencies of the ICN Framework (26). The studies were concentrated in the domain of education and preparedness (24). Conclusion: The total number of studies on disasters had increased over the years, while the topics failed to deal with all domains of the ICN Framework. The results indicate that the future direction of nursing research on disasters is to be vitalized through the flexibility of research design, systematic approach based on global perspectives, research on emergency responders and vulnerable people, and research relating to community-based disaster nursing.

Wildfire disasters: implications for rural nurses.

As natural disasters are increasing globally, nursing's role in responding to disasters is evolving. Disaster nursing has emerged as a specialty that focuses on the care of groups and communities during disaster response. The role of rural nurses in disasters is less well defined. A review of peer-reviewed literature combined with the International Council of Nurses framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies was conducted to understand the roles and functions of nurses in rural areas that experience disasters. The authors' findings from investigating the effects of four wildfires in rural Canadian communities are also discussed. Six major themes derived from our wildfire studies were generated within the context of nursing practice and are useful in the preparation of rural nurses involved in disaster management and recovery. This adds to the current literature which by and large has not addressed nursing in rural catastrophes. Well-prepared and educated rural nurses who combine theoretical knowledge with their understanding of a rural community potentially can reduce the impact of a disaster. Other nursing roles include mentoring nursing students in disaster preparation and assisting in initiatives to address community recovery in the aftermath of a disaster.

Nurses’ Competencies in Disaster Nursing: Implications for Curriculum Development and Public Health

The purpose of this study was to explore Hong Kong nurses’ perceptions of competencies required for disaster nursing. Focus group interviews and written inquiry were adopted to solicit nurses’ perceived required competencies for disaster care. A total of 15 nurses were interviewed and 30 nurses completed the written inquiry on their perceived competencies related to disaster nursing. The International Council for Nurses’ (ICN) framework of disaster nursing competencies, consisting of four themes and ten domains, was used to tabulate the perceived competencies for disaster nursing reported by nurses. The most mentioned required competencies were related to disaster response; with the ethical and legal competencies for disaster nursing were mostly neglected by nurses in Hong Kong. With the complexity nature of disasters, special competencies are required if nurses are to deal with adverse happenings in their serving community. Nurses’ perceived disaster nursing competencies reported by nurses were grossly inadequate, demonstrating the needs to develop a comprehensive curriculum for public health. The establishment of a set of tailor-made disaster nursing core competencies for the community they served is the first step in preparing nurses to deal with disastrous situations for the health of the public.