Effects of Empowerment Programs on Nurses’ Competence in Disaster Response

Background and Objective: It is necessary to prepare nurses for their important and accountable roles in disaster response teams. Given the lack of in-service training courses, nurses’ knowledge and skills in responding to disasters are lower than the desired level. This status can lead to nurses’ poor performance in caring for victims of disasters. This study aims to determine the effects of empowerment programs on nurses’ competence in disaster response. Methods: A total of 70 nurses working in Ardal and Naghan hospitals in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran, in 2020 were selected via a sampling method. One hospital was randomly selected as the intervention and the other as the control. The members of the intervention group were divided into 5 groups. Educational sessions were held in four 2-h sessions in one month. In addition, the intervention consisted of a 2-day workshop, hanging posters, and pamphlets that covered topics of competencies in disaster nursing. Results: The findings showed that the mean score of nurses’ competence score significantly increased in the intervention group (P = 0.001); however, no significant difference was observed in the control group (P > 0.05). Additionally, significant improvements were observed in all dimensions of competencies in the experimental group. The average ± SD scores of the increase in different domains of nurses’ competencies were as follows: management, 16 ± 4.6; ethical competency, 12 ± 2.8; personal competency, 18 ± 8.6; and technical competency, 30 ± 9.3. Conclusion: According to other study results with the same scale in Iran, nurses’ competencies in disaster response are not desirable; therefore, it is recommended that nurses, administrators, and other members of the healthcare system use these results to improve nurses’ competencies through in-service training.