Basic HTML Version
recommendation on collaboration,”
Weeks commented.
Normally, interdisciplinary care
teams are composed of volunteers
participating in an ARC disaster
response operation, which includes
disaster health services, mental
health services, client casework
and, sometimes, spiritual care.
For the presentation to the ICN
in Melbourne, Adams began by
examining the nurse’s role in
facilitating care access for those who had lost a family member in the
disaster. This involved sharing the results of a study of prior mass fatality
disaster responses, including narratives from disaster relief workers,
disaster leadership analyses, and an online survey of 120 members of
interdisciplinary post-disaster care teams.
She wrapped up the lecture with a description of a systematic review
process to synthesize the best evidence from the international literature
on disaster response, as well as recommendations for nurses when
responding to future disasters.
“The ICN Congress presentation was well received by attendees,
including nurses based in Australia, Japan, Denmark and other
nations — despite the fact that conversations with Congress attendees
showed the ICT approach was not very common around the world,”
said Adams. “There is
not
simply one single approach for nurses and
other health care providers, volunteers and responders to take action
in disasters.”
Adams explained that the ICT model is only one approach to disaster
relief by one organization in one country, and that disaster response is
determined by the location of the event and the needs of the survivors.
“We often say ‘all disasters are local,’ meaning that even with a disaster
that affects a wide geographic area, the initial response starts with
those closest to the scene. Factors that affect the response to disaster
can include infrastructure, the approach to health care, the availability
of social support, and many more.”
Work hasn’t stopped since Adams returned from the Land Down Under.
With the help ofWeeks and Lisa Smith from the University of NorthTexas
Health Science Center, Adams has completed the
Multidisciplinary Team
Response to Support Survivors of Mass Casualty Disasters: A Systematic
Review Protocol
and is currently conducting the literature search for the
systematic review.
“Our hope with the review is to uncover any evidence related to the
ICT model and to share those findings through presentations and
publication,” said Adams. “The field of disaster health care research is
relatively new, so future collaborations in research have potential to
greatly contribute to the field.”
“WE OFTEN SAY
‘ALL DISASTERS ARE LOCAL,’
MEANING THAT EVEN WITH A DISASTER THAT AFFECTS
A WIDE GEOGRAPHIC AREA,
THE INITIAL RESPONSE
STARTS WITH THOSE
CLOSEST TO THE SCENE.”
FEATURES
10
· Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences