184056 An Assessment of Nurses' Public Health Emergency Readiness and Training Needs in Rural North Texas

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 12:30 PM

Holly E. Jacobson, PhD , Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Texas - El Paso, El Paso, TX
Francisco Soto Mas, MD, PhD, MPH , Translational Hispanic Health Research Initiative, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Chiehwen Ed Hsu, PhD, MS, MPH , Preventive Health Informatics and SpaTial Analysis (PHISTA) Lab, UT School of Health Information Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX
Jerry A. Miller, MS, PhD , Research Administration, Shriner Hospital for Children, Houston, Texas, Houston, TX
Jame P. Turley, PhD, RN , School of Health Information Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX
BACKGROUND: Nurses often serve as first responders in emergency events, and as such play a key role in public health preparedness. Their role is increasingly critical to rural areas where local health departments have limited or no presence and emergency planning resources are minimal. To prepare rural jurisdictions for unforeseen disastrous events it is imperative to assess rural nurses' level of public health emergency readiness and training needs. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the level of public health emergency-related preparedness and the training needs of the nursing workforce in North Texas. METHODS: Data were collected through a mailed survey to 3,508 rural nurses. Descriptive statistics and GIS mapping were employed to understand levels of public health readiness and training needs. RESULTS: A total of 941 (27%) nurses completed the survey out of 3,498 questionnaires mailed. Results indicate that the level of training activities has significantly increased since September 2001, although the majority of respondents still have only limited training in emergency and bioterrorism preparedness and response. Fewer than 10% of respondents were confident in their ability to diagnose or treat conditions, although more than the majority (69%) were receptive to receiving additional information or materials on future training opportunities. About 30% of respondents expressed a willingness to collaborate with state and local authorities in bioterrorism-related activities. Preferred training modalities include small group workshops with instructor-led training, and internet-based training. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide insight into public health emergency training needs and preferences of nurses practicing in rural areas. Additional research and tailored training should be conducted to assess the competencies and skill sets acquired through training, and best align resources to strengthen health care providers, including nurses, in public health preparedness and response.

Learning Objectives:
Learners will be able to: 1. Discuss three potential indicators when assessing rural nurses’ level of public health emergency readiness and training needs. 2. Describe two specific training modules and modality that could enhance the level of preparedness for emergency for the nurses practicing in rural jurisdictions. 3. Discuss three potential technologies that may be used to evaluate the needs for public health preparedness and response.

Keywords: Rural Health Service Providers, Emergency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the researcher/investigator on this project
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Education for Disaster Preparedness and Response
See more of: Public Health Nursing