Exploring the role of nurses during the Black Saturday and Victorian bushfires of 2009 in Australia
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Mr Shane Lenson: Senior Nurse Advisor, Royal College of Nursing, Australia Mr Jamie Ranse: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Australia Chief Nursing Officer, St John Ambulance Australia
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International Council of Nurses (ICN) Conference 2011 Malta
Transcript of 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 !
