National survey of emergency nurses and avian influenza threat

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived likelihood of emergency nurses reporting to work during an avian influenza outbreak, to consider options if nurses decided not to report work and, to explore Protection Motivation Theory constructs as predictors of reporting to work. Methods: Descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional survey of emergency nurses within the United States. Results: A total of 332 nurses (46%) responded. Most emergency nurses (84%) reported they would report to work (1 in 6 would not). Likelihood of reporting to work differed by education level, nurses' avian influenza information sources, and nurses who had family living with them. If nurses decided not to report to work, the majority were willing to provide health information (90%), administer vaccinations (82%), and triage (74%) neighbors/friends from home. One-third of nurses had not attended a disaster-preparedness drill within the past year. Only 20% identified formal training while on the job as a source of avian influenza information. A third of emergency nurses would be worried about getting an avian influenza vaccination due to potential side effects. Protection Motivation Theory accounted for almost 40% of the variance of likelihood to report to work with response costs being the largest predictor. Discussion: Disaster drills, avian influenza job training, and vaccination education are necessary to prepare emergency nurses for an outbreak. The findings support emergency nurses' willingness to work from home if unable to report to work. This finding is new and may have implications for disaster planning, staffing, and emergency department operations.