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Evaluating the Difference in Emergency Nurses’ Disaster Response Self-Reported Confidence and Assessed Knowledge Scores: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2025

Nathan Durbridge Open the ORCID record for Nathan Durbridge [Opens in a new window] ,
Emma Hall ,
Mirjana Sikic ,
Angela Weber ,
John Thompson  and
Gerard O’Reilly
Nathan Durbridge*
Affiliation:
Alfred Health, https://ror.org/04scfb908 Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre , Melbourne VIC, Australia
Emma Hall
Affiliation:
Alfred Health, https://ror.org/04scfb908 Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre , Melbourne VIC, Australia Mercy Health, Werribee Hospital, Werribee VIC, Australia
Mirjana Sikic
Affiliation:
Alfred Health, https://ror.org/04scfb908 Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre , Melbourne VIC, Australia
Angela Weber
Affiliation:
Alfred Health, https://ror.org/04scfb908 Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre , Melbourne VIC, Australia
John Thompson
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne. School of Health Sciences, https://ror.org/01ej9dk98 Department of Nursing , Parkville VIC, Australia
Gerard O’Reilly
Affiliation:
Alfred Health, https://ror.org/04scfb908 Alfred Hospital Emergency & Trauma Centre , Melbourne VIC, Australia Monash University. https://ror.org/02bfwt286 School of Public Health & Preventative Medicine , Melbourne VIC, Australia
*
Corresponding author: Nathan Durbridge; Email: nathandurbridge@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives

The objective is to determine if a practical face-to-face emergency disaster incident response training program delivered in the clinical setting will improve self-reported confidence and assessed knowledge of emergency department (ED) nurses to respond to disasters.

Methods

A single site prospective pre-test and post-test randomized controlled trial was adopted for this study. The intervention was a practical face-to-face training program, while the control group completed the required annual mandatory hospital online training.

Results

There was a large difference in post-test median self-reported confidence between groups. There was also a large difference in the proportion of subjects who reached satisfactory levels of self-reported confidence post-test. Regarding assessed knowledge, there was a moderate difference in post-test median knowledge between groups. There was also a moderate difference in the proportion who reached satisfactory levels of knowledge post-test.

Conclusions

This study has shown that ED nurses who undertake a practical face-to-face disaster preparedness education program in the clinical setting, are better prepared to respond to emergency disaster incidents. Organizations should consider the use of a practical structured face-to-face emergency disaster incident response education program to complement and enhance any online emergency and disaster training.

Keywords

disaster health preparednesspractical disaster educationemergency departmentemergency nursesdisaster nursing
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e157
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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