Citation

Evans CA, Perks J, O'Kane L. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/dmp.2022.69

PMID

35535761

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: "Determine which clients to recommend for discharge in a disaster situation" is a Registered Nurse Activity Statement on the National Council Licensing Exam test plan. The activity statement raised the nursing education research question: could senior student nurses transfer their learning to a novel circumstance, with a high degree of risk, making decisions using patient assessments and determining resource needs? A study with a descriptive quantitative approach was designed with 2 aims. The first was to describe students' transfer of learning for basic disaster and medical-surgical knowledge and make recommendations for patient dispositions. The second aim was to describe students' attitudes about their transfer of learning during the tabletop exercise.

METHODS: A researcher-designed disaster-scenario tabletop exercise and 3 instruments with subject-matter-expert feedback captured participants' decisions. Eligible senior student nurses volunteered to participate in the replicated study that was extended to 2 universities. Participant decisions and attitude responses were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS: Descriptive and difficulty index statistics described students' transfer of learning for basic disaster and medical-surgical topics, patient disposition recommendations, and attitudes. The cut-score for optimal transfer of learning was difficulty index (DI) ≤.49.

CONCLUSIONS: Students had positive attitudes and transferred learning to most decisions. Decision DIs ≤.49 were remediated.

Language: en

Keywords

disaster; community health planning; emergency nursing; nurse’s role; patient acuity