Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Volume 9 – Issue 06 – December 2015
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=DMP&tab=currentissue

.
Resilience of Nurses in the Face of Disaster
Stephanie B. Turner
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness / Volume 9 / Issue 06 / December 2015, pp 601 – 604
Abstract
Objective
On April 27, 2011, the state of Alabama encountered a horrific day of tornados that left a trail of damage throughout the state. The city of Tuscaloosa was devastated by an EF-4 that resulted in many victims and casualties. Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa had a massive inflow of victims with both mild and major injuries. When disasters such as this occur, nurses must respond with efficiency and effectiveness to help as many victims as possible. However, little is known about the psychological effects of disasters on nurses and how these impact nurses both personally and professionally. Because resilience can directly impact how a nurse responds to a situation, this article aimed to examine the resilience levels of nurses working during the disaster.
Methods
This study was part of a larger study examining the needs of nurses both before and after disasters. Ten nurses were interviewed and completed a 10-item survey on resilience, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The full range of scores on this scale is from 0 to 40, with higher scores reflecting greater resilience.
Results
In this survey of 10 nurses, the scores ranged from 33 to 40, with a mean score of 36.7.
Conclusions
The nurses who were interviewed and completed the survey possessed a high level of resilience. More research should be done on the causes of increased resilience in nurses after disasters. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:601–604)

.
Notes from Nepal: Is There a Better Way to Provide Search and Rescue?
Kobi Peleg
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, Volume 9, Issue 06, December 2015
Abstract
This article discusses a possibility for overcoming the limited efficiency of international search and rescue teams in saving lives after earthquakes, which was emphasized by the recent disaster in Nepal and in other earthquakes all over the world. Because most lives are actually saved by the locals themselves long before the international teams arrive on scene, many more lives could be saved by teaching the basics of light rescue to local students and citizens in threatened countries. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:650–652)