title: Disaster nursing in Iran: challenges and opportunities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Disaster nursing was one of the first forms of nursing practice in Iran, and nurses have long served voluntarily in disasters. Despite their key role throughout a disaster management cycle, few studies have examined nurses' unique role in the management of disasters in this region of the world.
  
  
  METHODS
  An integrative narrative analysis of international research published in English and Persian studies between years 2000 and 2013 was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the 32 articles yielded two major: organisational and managerial challenges, and challenges linked to the educational system. The most significant factors linked to the role of nurses in disasters included the lack of identification of those who educated nurses to serve in critical conditions, defects in university's educational systems and lack of in-service training for nurses with regard to disasters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The integration of dedicate organisational units to educate human workforces, formalising a relationship between nursing staff and the disaster organisations, creative educational content, and effective economical systems to educate nurses may further enable disaster preparedness and response.
authors.affiliation: Chronic Disease Care Research Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Electronic address: Zarea_k@ajums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Kourosh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zarea
authors.affiliation: Shohada hospital, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Electronic address: beiranvandsamira@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beiranvand
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Electronic address: psheinijaberi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sheini-Jaberi
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Electronic address: nikbakht@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikbakht-Nasrabadi
mesh_terms: D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004190:Disasters; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D024802:Nurse's Role; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Disaster management; Disaster nursing; Disasters; Disasters in Iran; Emergency nursing; Iranian nursing