All the Resources was Gone: The Environmental Context of Disaster Nursing

Abstract

US nurses are not prepared for the altered conditions of the disaster environment, nor has the context of providing disaster nursing care been a focus of disaster research. Using an existential phenomenologic approach, US nurses described the "not normal" conditions of the disaster environment they experienced as physically and emotionally challenging, because of the reduced infrastructural capabilities, unfamiliar patient populations, and reliance on low-technology nursing with insufficient staff and supplies. Preparation for the reduced resources of the disaster environment should be integrated into current nursing education, clinical practice, and disaster preparedness policy.

Keywords: Disaster; Disaster environment; Infrastructure; Nursing; Preparedness.