Disaster Preparedness for Children: Nurses’ Roles

Abstract

Disaster has a direct impact on health, causing loss in many dimensions, and with a high tendency to occur in the future. Disaster preparedness is necessary to reduce its severity of impacts. Particularly, children who are considered as a vulnerable group affected by the disaster. Disaster preparedness enhances children to encounter the disaster safely. It also changes their status from the ones who are waiting for helps, to the ones who can take care of themselves and help others. Thus, the policy of supporting the disaster preparedness for children was set from international level to practical level. Disaster preparedness includes the following components; knowledge resources or experts, contents preparations, methods preparations, and disaster management. The local agencies should be integrated in order to educate and train children. Nurses in communities, play important roles in preparing children to handle the disaster by raising awareness, educating children’ carers and community, supporting and encouraging disaster drills, monitoring their knowledge, and developing guidelines for disaster preparedness for children. It is aimed to achieve safety, reduce loss, having a good health and quality of life. Finally, suggestions for improving nurses’ capacity development in disaster preparedness for children are as follows: gaining an understanding of disaster concepts, disaster management, expertise in emergency, and communications.