ABSTRACT
AIM: The present study aimed to analyse the disaster preparedness among Saudi nurses through self-regulation survey. BACKGROUND: Nurses along with other healthcare professionals face difficulty in terms of management during disastrous condition. Moreover, there is a need to improve the abilities of nurses in managing disaster events by examining the disaster preparedness of nurses. METHODS: It employed quantitative descriptive design by conducting a self-regulation survey among 350 nurses recruited from five government hospitals in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Data related to the motivation, commitment and self-regulation of nurses concerning their participation in disaster preparedness activities were collected. RESULTS: Self-regulation scores were significantly related to the nationality (t [328] 3.95, p < .001), nursing education (t [328] 2.14, p < .05), age group (F [2,327] 4.75, p < .01) and experience (F [3,317] 4.891, p < .01), whereas insignificant association was found with gender (t [328] 1.84, p > .05) and hospitals (F [4,325] 0.925, p > .05). CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge of the healthcare nurses was satisfactory for the disaster preparedness, while there prevails a neutral level of involvement, preparedness and commitment among them. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: There is a crucial need for hospital management to arrange disaster preparedness awareness and understanding programs for nurses and hospital staff to be competent for overcoming the risks associated with these events.
