5.4 Nurses’ Roles in Emergency Response
Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN)
Together with emergency personnel, community organizations, health care providers, and other members of the health care team, nurses play a key role in carrying out emergency response plans. Before, during, and after disasters, nurses provide education and health promotion interventions to protect the community and keep people safe from environmental hazards. During the emergency response, nurses assist in first aid, triage patients’ needs, direct victims to resources and community support, and continuously assess and monitor patients’ physical and psychological needs. Nurses also assist with community organization through logistical organization of response and prevention needs, such as coordination of blood drives, clothing drives, management of shelters, and other social needs that exist in the community. When disaster strikes, nurses are challenged to use their skills and scope of practice to the fullest to provide the best care for their community.[1]
See an example Disaster Nursing Timeline on page 250 of The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 : Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity ebook.
The ability to care for and protect vulnerable citizens depends substantially on the preparedness of the nursing workforce. The nursing workforce available to participate in U.S. disaster and public health emergency response includes all licensed nurses (licensed practical/vocational nurses [LPNs/LVNs] and registered nurses [RNs]), civilian and uniformed services nurses at the federal and state levels, nurses who have recently retired, and nurses who volunteer in organizations (e.g., National Disaster Medical System, Medical Reserve Corps, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, and the American Red Cross). Each of these entities plays a critical role in the nation’s ability to respond to and recover from disasters and large-scale public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]The increasing frequency of natural and environmental disasters, along with public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the critical importance of having a national nursing workforce prepared with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond.[3]
Nurses’ Roles in Pandemics and Other Infectious Disease Outbreaks
When infectious disease outbreaks occur, nurses are called to the front lines to care for patients very quickly. In the past few decades, infectious disease outbreaks have been occurring more frequently and with more intensity, and nurses, along with health care agencies, must be prepared to respond to such emergencies. Some of the ways nurses respond are by doing the following[4]:
- Tracking disease prevalence and epidemiology of diseases
- Assisting with screening and testing, along with vaccine distribution
- Providing direct care to affected individuals in hospitals and outpatient clinics
- Educating the public and community about disease prevention