Are We Ready? Nursing Preparedness for Natural Disaster Health Implications

In this presentation, Nyree Parker highlights the intersection of nursing and the frequency and severity of disasters. No day goes by without the news feeds mentioning some countries worldwide experiencing mass flooding, bushfires, heat waves, or earthquakes. Are nurses prepared for this? Are nurses recognizing this now, and how are we preparing for this in the future? Records on climate change are breaking monthly and yearly in most countries. The human race is entering unknown territory regarding the impacts on human health. Today's nursing is much more than just recycling and reducing waste. The profession is competing on multiple fronts.

Around the world, nursing demand is outstripping supply, with increased technologies in some countries and a lack thereof in others, supply chain disruptions, and economic constraints. The global pandemic taught us many lessons, but have we changed our scope of practice? Education is the key, but it is not keeping up with the pace of the impacts of climate change disasters on health.

Disasters are increasing; there is little time to recover, reflect, or implement health promotion or improvement strategies. This paradigm needs to shift. Reactive nursing has to morph into a state of preparedness and a readiness culture that acknowledges warning signs, adheres to awareness alerts, monitors weather predictions, and liaises with community preparedness.