Question

1. What is a disaster?
2. What is the role of healthcare professionals in a disaster?
3. Describe the Incident Command System.
4. Discuss how a public health nurse could help his/her community to prepare for a disaster, including family preparation. What should be considered/included?
5. How can a public health nurse be involved in disaster preparation? Disaster care?
6. Describe communication challenges in a disaster. What are some solutions?
7. Why does care need to be coordinated in a disaster? What happens when it is not? (Give examples)

Answer 1

What is a disaster?

“Disaster” comes from the Latin word astrum, which means star. It is a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction. In other words we can say that it is an event whose timing is unexpected and whose consequences are seriously destructive. Disasters are divided into 2 basic groups: natural and man-made. Among the natural disasters are earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires. Among the man-made disasters are war, pollution, nuclear explosions, fires, hazardous materials exposures, explosions, and transportation accidents.

What is the role of health care officials in a disaster?

The main role of healthcare professionals in disaster management is To provide timely effective assistance to disaster victims, to facilitates relief measures and rehabilitation of services. Moreover, Health care workers handle following tasks:

Assessment of casualties,

priority setting,

collaboration,

prevention of excessive deaths,

treatment of injured,

Provision of both preventive and acute care,

mitigation of suffering, and

imposition of order to avoid chaos, confusion, disorder, and inadequacy of available resources.

Describe the incident Command system?

ICS was developed in the 1970s in response to a series of major wild land fires in southern California. ICS integrates communication and planning by establishing a manageable span of control during disasters like fires, explosions etc. ICS is a model for command, control and coordination of the response to an emergency. ICS provides a process for coordinating the efforts of various agencies and resources as they work together, in a safe manner, for the control and mitigation of an emergency incident. The Incident Command System comprises six functional areas:

Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration, and Intelligence/Investigations.

Discuss how a public health nurse could help his/her community to prepare for a disaster, including family preparation. What should be considered/included?

Nurses form the largest group of the healthcare workforce and are often on the frontline in disaster management. To be ready for a disaster, disaster preparedness comes into effect.Because natural disasters are all different and destructive in their own way, one will need to prepare and respond to them differently. Families should review the types of natural disasters that are most common in their area. While home fires can occur anywhere, some areas may also be prone to earthquakes, while others may experience tornadoes. Disaster preparedness involves planning and preparation to effectively respond to any disaster situation. Nurses should work to educate women and families about how to plan for and stay safe during disasters. Nurses serve a vital role in maximizing the health and health care experiences of pregnant women, new mothers, and infants. Nurses are well situated to reassure women and their families that healthy babies have been delivered in disaster situations. Nurses often facilitate communication and coordinate care among members of the health care team, patients, and their families during a disaster. Clear communication is an essential element of disaster planning and response. This includes formal and informal communication (verbal and written) and electronic and paper documentation. Nurses have to teach the strategies for maintaining nutrition, hydration, and other accommodation like safety, Rest and hygiene. They need to keep a reserve of vitamins and prescription medications. Nurses need to teach the women about the importance of breastfeeding.