Effectiveness of training nurses on the National Program for Hospital Preparedness in improving their preparedness for accidents and disasters

Background and Aims: The National Program for Hospital Preparedness is a comprehensive and unified model for planning and responding to accidents and disasters in hospitals and health centers of the country. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of training nurses on The National Program for Hospital Preparedness in their preparedness for disasters and accidents. Materials and Methods: The randomized controlled intervention study was performed on 62 nurses who were selected by the simple non-randomized sampling method. The research instrument was the Disaster Preparedness Questionnaire (READI). A one-day workshop was organized for nurseschr('39') preparedness for disasters in accordance with Hospital Preparedness National Program. The questionnaire was administered to case and control groups in three stages: before, immediately, and two months later. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Fisher, independent t-test, and Bonferroni, and repeated measures ANOVA. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: As evidenced by the obtained results, the scores of clinical competence, managerial support, team cohesion, environmental competence, and survival skills increased after the educational intervention. Moreover, the total score of nurseschr('39') preparedness for disasters was improved from 191±28.4 to 193.4±36.3 and 208.4±35.4 immediately after the program and two months later, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: Training on the National Program for Hospital Preparedness will further enhance nurseschr('39') preparedness levels. Due to the peculiar role of nurses in accidents, it is recommended that this program be integrated into nurses chr('39')training courses and studentschr('39') courses.