Does a structured practical disaster training program improve emergency nurses’ confidence and knowledge towards disaster response preparedness?

INTERVENTION: The intervention will be a group face to face structured education program consisting of 3 sessions. • Session 1: Disaster Triage/Streaming • Session 2: Responding to an external disaster event (e.g. bomb explosion / heat wave) • Session 3: Responding to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological warfare incident. These sessions have been developed and delivered by the principle investigator who is the Emergency Disaster preparedness and response lead, accredited MIMMS (major incident medical management support) commanders, completed formal AIIMS (Australasian inter service incident manager system) education and academic teaching higher education disaster health. These programs have also been validated by a member of the investigation team who holds a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Response. Each session will run for approximately 1.5 hours. In these session’s staff will have both lecture style presentation aiming to increase knowledge and understanding of the specific topic response plan and associated skills. As well as practical hands on activities and exercises that will assist staff to consolidate the knowledge and skills. Participants allocated to the intervention group (Group B) will be required to attend all 3 sessions. In order to make this achievable each session will run multiple times during its allocated month. CONDITION: emergency and disaster health response ; ; emergency and disaster health response Emergency medicine ‐ Other emergency care Public Health ‐ Health promotion/education PRIMARY OUTCOME: Emergency nurses’ confidence to prepare and respond to a disaster incident if one were to occur assessed via a staff survey consisting of a 5 point likart scale.[Pre intervention survey will indicate base line confidence and then be compared to a completion of the same survey post intervention. ; ; Post intervention survey will be completed by the control group post completion of the on‐line training.; Post intervention survey will be completed by the intervention group post completion of the last face to face session. ] SECONDARY OUTCOME: Emergency nurses’ knowledge to prepare and respond to a disaster incident if one were to occur assessed via a staff survey. This survey consisting of multiple choice questions relating to emergency nurses role in disaster response. ; ; [Post intervention survey will be completed by the control group post completion of the on‐line training. ; Post intervention survey will be completed by the intervention group post completion of the last face to face session. ] INCLUSION CRITERIA: Registered nurses employed in the Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre