Global nursing in an Ebola viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak

Before, during and after deployment

Dados Bibliográficos

ID19530751
AutoresEva von Strauss (0000-0001-5800-6454, Röda Korsets Högskola, autor correspondente), Stéphanie Paillard-Borg (0000-0002-1968-2326, Röda Korsets Högskola), Jessica Holmgren (0000-0002-8551-3264, Röda Korsets Högskola), Panu Saaristo (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)
Ano2017
Volume10
Fascículo1
Páginas1371427-1371427
Data de publicação2017-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoGlobal Health Action (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1654-9716 • E-ISSN: 1654-9880
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/16549716.2017.1371427
PMID29017025
OpenAlexW2760997269
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas32

BACKGROUND: Nurses are on the forefront and play a key role in global disaster responses. Nevertheless, they are often not prepared for the challenges they are facing and research is scarce regarding the nursing skills required for first responders during a disaster situation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate how returnee nursing staff experienced deployment before, during and after having worked for the Red Cross at an Ebola Treatment Center in Kenema, West Africa, and to supply knowledge on how to better prepare and support staff for viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional approach. Questionnaires were administered to nurses having worked with patients suffering from Ebola in 2014 and 2015. Data collection covered aspects of pre-, during and post-deployment on clinical training, personal health, stress management, leadership styles, socio-cultural exposure and knowledge transfer, as well as attitudes from others. Data was analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. RESULTS: Response-rate was 88%: forty-four nurses from 15 different countries outside West Africa answered the questionnaire. The respondents identified the following needs for improvement: increased mental health and psychosocial support and hands-on coping strategies with focus on pre- and post-deployment; more pre-deployment task-oriented clinical training; and workload reduction, as exhaustion is a risk for safety. CONCLUSIONS: This study supplies knowledge on how to better prepare health care staff for future viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks and other disasters. Participants were satisfied with their pre-deployment physical health preparation, whereas they stressed the importance of mental health support combined with psychosocial support after deployment. Furthermore, additional pre-clinical training was requested

Business · Disease · Focus group · Mental health · Personal protective equipment · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Software deployment · Workload · Disaster Response and Management · Global Health and Surgery · Medicine · Nursing · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research