Overestimated, still less than competent: A cross-sectional study concerning emergency department registered nurses’ disaster preparedness

Abstract BackgroundMajor incidents continue to pose a threat to health care systems by overwhelming them with a sudden surge of patients. A major factor impacting a hospital's surge capacity is the skills, abilities, and knowledge of emergency department registered nurses. The level of disaster nursing competency they possess affects patient safety and outcome. ED RNs' ability to accurately assess their competency and knowledge is imperative for mitigating the effect of major incidents. ED RN’s perception of overall disaster preparedness has not been thoroughly addressed. The aim of this study was to assess emergency department registered nurses' self-perceived disaster preparedness.MethodThe study was a cross-sectional study. A self-assessment questionnaire based on the results of a study identifying specific disaster nursing competencies for emergency department registered nurses was distributed to all emergency department registered nurses at six participating hospitals between January 10th to February 19th of 2019. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to assess competency.ResultsEmergency department registered nurses’ disaster preparedness according to the Total Disaster Competency mean, was low. Furthermore, the results indicate that ED RNs’ overestimate their disaster nursing competency when compared to the Total Disaster Competency score. When asked to estimate their overall the mean was ”less than competent” yet higher than the Total Disaster Competency score. Knowledge gaps concerning disaster preparedness plans were also identified. Additionally, this study identified factors associated with disaster preparedness and self-assessment ability.Conclusion ED RNs’ overestimate their disaster preparedness and may lack self-awareness concerning their disaster competencies. However, ED RNs with formal disaster education appeared to have better insight concerning their preparedness. Clinical experiences, higher levels of education, and training were positively associated with preparedness. A lack of self-awareness may negatively impact patient outcomes during a major incident.