The study intended to develop a vision for disaster nursing, in addition to identifying the barriers and facilitators to the achievement of the developed vision. The study also sought to outline “recommendations for nursing practice, education, policy and research” (Veenema et al., 2016). The authors of this article also acknowledge the potential of nurses in managing disasters, as they observe that there are approximately 2.3 million nurses in the United States. Despite the great potential that nurses hold for managing disasters and emergencies, the efforts to integrate them into disaster management efforts are still wanting. The nurses are inadequately prepared, inhibiting their ability to respond effectively to disasters. The article has a variety of impacts spanning across financial, personnel, patient care, reputation of the hospital, and legal organizational spectrums.
Financial
The emerging vision that was developed as a result of this study is “To create a national nursing workforce with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond to disasters and public health emergencies in a timely and effective manner” (Veenema et al., 2016). An effective and efficient nursing workforce can alleviate the financial burdens associated with emergencies and disasters. Disasters and emergencies lead to both direct and indirect financial losses. In addition to the increased spending of resources, emergencies also cause loss of life, which translates to a loss of manpower and labor hours, hence loss of productivity. Disasters lead to direct and indirect loss of millions of dollars and the effective management of such events can significantly reduce these costs. The positive financial outcomes justify the importance of the vision.
Personnel
The article also has impacts on the personnel of the organization. The article outlines ways of enhancing leadership among the nurses by developing a suitable platform for nurses to be involved in disaster management. This means that nurses will be more exposed to leadership and management after undertaking lessons in disaster management. The personnel also gain from enhanced knowledge and skills in disaster management and preparedness. These skills build confidence among the personnel, leading to improved productivity.
Patient Care
When nurses gain skills and knowledge to effectively manage disasters and emergencies, the quality of patient care consequently improves. Veenema et al. (2016) posit that ideally, nurses are expected to possess a minimum knowledge base and skills that facilitate an effective response to disasters and emergencies. Nurses who possess a minimum knowledge base are not only in a position to effectively respond to disasters, but they are also in a better position to ensure safety among family members, hence minimizing the impacts of disastrous events. Disaster preparedness also enhances the willingness of nurses to respond to emergencies, hence improving their ability to deliver quality patient care.
Reputation of the Hospital
A well trained nursing workforce delivers quality patient care, which improves the satisfaction of the patients. Satisfied patients are happy patients, who spread word about the good services of the healthcare facility, and this consequently improves the reputation of the hospital. However, a hospital that receives negative feedback about its services is bound to suffer the negative impacts of a deteriorating reputation.
Legal Ramifications
This implementation comes with possible legal ramifications, including those associated with changes in nursing practice, education, and adjustments to policy. The article makes a recommendation for the thorough review of national policies that address disaster management and preparedness. The recommendation suggests a focus on the elevation and prioritization of regulations that deal with emergencies at the local, state, and national levels.
References
Veenema, T. G. et al. (2016). Nurses as leaders in disaster preparedness and response—A call
