Evaluation of an Australian nursing partnership to improve disaster response capacity
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a partnership with specialized nurses from geographically disparate hospitals to provide critical support in national disasters.
Design/methodology/approach
The Australian Government established the National Critical Care Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) within Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH). A partnership with the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) occurred to support RDH during national disasters. PAH nurses undertook two-week rotations to RDH in readiness for deployment. PAH, NCCTRC and RDH nurses’ perceptions of the efficacy of the nurse rotations were explored in surveys and focus groups.
Findings
PAH nurses felt they were well equipped for practice in RDH and the partnership developed professional reciprocity with the PAH nurses feeling respected, valued and part of the RDH team. This finding of adequate preparation and effective integration was consistent with the perceptions of senior staff from the participating organizations.
Originality/value
This unique partnership created a well-prepared team to provide support in a national disaster.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funds were received from the Princess Alexandra Hospital. The funder had no input into the study, its design or publication decisions. The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Citation
Mitchell, M., Mackie, B., M. Aitken, L. and C. McKinnon, L. (2014), "Evaluation of an Australian nursing partnership to improve disaster response capacity", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 524-532. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-04-2014-0069
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited