Discussion Post: Being Prepared: Impact of Disaster, Terrorism, and War
Many opportunities are available for both student nurses and experienced community health nurses to become involved in emergency preparedness and response efforts. A disaster is any event that causes a level of destruction that exceeds the abilities of the affected community to respond without assistance. Disasters may be caused by natural or man-made/technologic events and may be classified as multiple-casualty incidents or mass-casualty incidents. Student nurses are developing a plan on how to approach the upcoming community-wide disaster drill.
• What characteristics of disasters, including causation, number of casualties, scope, and intensity, should the student nurses consider?
• What factors contribute to a community's potential for experiencing a disaster?
• What are the four phases of disaster management that must be included in the student nurses planning for the drill?
• Using the levels of prevention, what is the role of the community health nurse in relations to acts of chemical, biologic, or nuclear terrorism?
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.