Exploring advanced nursing practice during Australian disasters: A scoping review

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Hutton, Alison
Conlon, Lisa
Kako, Mayumi
Wilson, Rhonda L
Hammad, Karen
Olson, Sarah
Stewart, David
Ranse, Jamie
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2023
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Abstract

Background and Aim: Disasters occur daily around the world. As the largest body of health professionals, nurses are looked upon during a disaster for leadership, clinical assistance, and support. Nurses are at the forefront of managing disasters in their communities, yet their complex role as advanced nurse practitioners, clinicians, managers, and leaders is not always fully understood. The aim of this paper is to explore what advanced nursing practice (ANP) takes place during a disaster. Methods: This scoping review was guided by the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. The review searched five relevant databases. A scoping review design was chosen as the authors expected that evidence in the field would be produced using a wide variety of methodologies. Results: Nurses work long hours during a disaster, with hospitals and nurses becoming the centre of events and the ‘go to’ place during a disaster. During disasters, nurses often have little sleep and frequently put others’ needs before their own. The nurses in these studies worked while they were worried for themselves and their families. Nurses reported feeling capable and reported that all their experience and skills came to the fore during these challenging situations. Conclusions: During disasters, nurses were flexible and adaptable, with many taking on different roles. Nurses are quick to find solutions; problem solving is key and responding to disasters is ‘just what you do’. Nurses demonstrated fundamental expertise and they had the agility to pivot when the occasion demands. It is evident that nurses work beyond conventional limits during a disaster.

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Health Emergency and Disaster Nursing

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10

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1

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© 2023 The Authors. Health Emergency and Disaster Nursing published by NPO Disaster Nursing Group. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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Emergency medicine

Nursing

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Hutton, A; Conlon, L; Kako, M; Wilson, RL; Hammad, K; Olson, S; Stewart, D; Ranse, J, Exploring advanced nursing practice during Australian disasters: A scoping review, Health Emergency and Disaster Nursing, 2023, 10 (1), pp. 5-17

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