Pediatric issues in disaster preparedness: meeting the educational needs of nurses-are we there yet?
Children have unique physical, emotional, and developmental needs making them particularly vulnerable during disasters. Most existing disaster preparedness courses lack a pediatric perspective. This article describes a pediatric disaster preparedness program presented to pediatric nurses in an urban, Level 1 trauma center. Survey results from the participants prior to the program revealed a lack of awareness of pediatric issues. Although the program resulted in an immediate improvement in awareness, retention fell back to precourse levels 2 years later. We conclude that pediatric disaster preparedness training should be integrated into hospital nursing curriculum on a regular basis.
Fox
Lori
L
MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA. lfox@metrohealth.org
Timm
Nathan
N
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D023482:Bioterrorism; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D009820:Ohio; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014193:Trauma Centers