Nursing

Globally, nurses arguably comprise the greatest numbers of health care providers during day-to-day and disaster operations or response. Their impact during a disaster response is significant as they care for and teach victims and their families. As nurses play such a vital role in disaster response, it is important to have a platform to share their research, knowledge, and experiences with other nurses and health care providers who might respond to a disaster or mass casualty incident. It is within this context that the Nursing Special Interest Group was formally established at the 14th edition of the Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland from in May 2005.

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Watch the Recent Nursing SIG Presentations!

Webinar Date: 4 August 2025

Transcending Disaster Nursing Amidst the Turbulence / Where are Malaysian Nurses on Disaster Preparedness?

This special dual-presentation webinar features Jamla Rizek, DNP, and Nurul’Ain Ahayalimudin, PhD, discussing disasters and nursing. The presentation summaries are below.

West meets East: Transcending Disaster Nursing Amidst the Turbulence – Jamla Rizek
This presentation explores the critical intersection of nursing and disaster response, highlighting the essential role nurses play in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from crises. Framed through a disaster-focused lens, it examines how nurses must navigate complex challenges across public health emergencies, environmental catastrophes, and human-made crises. Emphasis is placed on the unique vulnerabilities of affected populations, the strain on healthcare infrastructure, and the mental and physical toll disasters impose on both communities and responders. It calls attention to the need for interdisciplinary coordination, rapid decision-making, and compassionate care in high-stakes environments.

Code Red to Code Ready: Where are Malaysian Nurses on Disaster Preparedness? – Nurul’Ain Ahayalimudin
Malaysian nurses consistently rise to the occasion when calamity strikes, but systematic disaster preparedness, including uniform training, regular multi-agency drills, and clear surge-role protocols, remains uneven nationwide. This talk takes stock of current strengths and gaps, then outlines a roadmap to embed disaster competencies into every nursing curriculum and policy table. The goal: shift the profession from reactive “Code Red” heroics to a proactive, nation-wide culture of “Code Ready” resilience.

Presentation Slides (Transcending Disaster Nursing Amidst the Turbulence)

Presentation Slides (Code Red to Code Ready)

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Webinar Date: 27 March 2025

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.

Presentation Slides

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Nursing SIG Leadership