Citation

Everly GS, Barnett DJ, Sperry NL, Links JM. Int. J. Emerg. Ment. Health 2010; 12(1): 21-31.

Affiliation

Center for Public Health Preparedness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland, USA. geverly@jhsph.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Chevron Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20828087

Abstract

Disaster mental health research has found that psychological casualties from a given disaster can be expected to far outnumber physical casualties. Amidst a shortage of mental health professionals and against the backdrop of natural disasters, continued terrorism, and pandemic influenza, there is a striking need to expand and operationalize available human resources to enhance the psychological resiliency of those affected. Through the utilization of psychological first aid (PFA) as an early crisis intervention tool, and by virtue of their occupation and experience, nurses are particularly well-suited to assume a leadership role in expanding the disaster mental health presence beyond the existing cadre of mental health clinicians. Here, we characterize the importance of integrating PFA in the context of other nursing functions, to augment mental health surge capacity in disaster settings.

Language: en