exploring the role of nurses during the black saturday and victorian bushfires of 2009 in australia

Mr Shane Lenson: Senior Nurse Advisor, Royal College of Nursing, Australia

Mr Jamie Ranse: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, AustraliaChief Nursing Officer, St John Ambulance Australia

Acknowledgments

Health Disaster ResponseAustralia's health care response to disasters Familiar with the threat of natural disasters

St John Ambulance Australia Clinical accreditation framework

Health care professionals in St John

Role of St John in the bushfires

Cross border arrangements

AimTo describe the clinical experience, disaster training /

education, and disaster experience of nurses who participated in the February 2009 Victorian Bushfire

response and recovery.

Methodology Design

Population and sample

Participant recruitment

Data collection

Data analysis

Protection of human participants

Participant demographics Gender Male 7

Female 4

Years experience as a nurse 16 years (2 -45)

Years experience as a member of St John 17 (3 -40)

Thematic analysis Being prepared

Having an appropriate level of training

Having enough resources

Having adequate clinical experience

Expansive Roles

Minimal clinical care

Emotional supporter

Nurse as coordinator

Problem-solver

Having an appropriate level of training

“I think I’m pretty well okay in [terms of] training for disaster....I’ve done alot of courses in my time [with St

John]”

“I felt quite comfortable and quite confident that I was able to deal with whatever was going on ... since my

time with St John I have been to bushfires, floods and many large outdoor public events”

Having enough resources“We packed in as much medical gear as we could put into

[the car], that including the doctor’s bag, all the resuscitation equipment ... boxes, extra IVs...”

“We had routine stock deliveries ... donations from chemists, so we had a myriad of dressings and lots of

solutions and treatments, and things that anyone thought might be helpful they’d donate. We had a lot of

resources at our disposal. Probably too much, as we used very little...”

Having adequate clinical experience

“I was paired with paramedic students ... there was [also] a doctor who volunteered so we’d go out to patients

homes if they weren’t prepared to come in.”

Minimal clinical care“[I treated] ... relatively minor things, headache, a scratch

from jumping off the truck .... a lot of eye rinses, minor burns...”

“People were worried about their medical conditions ... ‘I haven’t had my blood pressure tablets, is my blood

pressure okay’... “

Emotional supporter“My nursing experience probably helped a little bit more

with the emotional side of people presenting ... people were distressed ... counselling [and] supporting skills that you learn through nursing [assisted me].”

“... a lot of the time we were just there to talk to them, just be there as somebody to listen to what they were saying because they didn’t actually need first aid per se.”

Nurse as coordinator“We did a great deal of coordinating...making phone calls

and organising services... the GP from Whittlesea had gone down to the disaster relief centre and was ...

writing scripts. The chemist had opened after hours to allow people to go and get their scripts filled”

“In the EOC ... I liaised with healthcare professionals to find out who was available, and at what notice, for

sudden team medical deployment.”

Discussion Disaster Training / Education

Disaster Resources

Disaster Roles

Limitations One event

One organisation

Small sample group

Conclusion

Thank You !