Crisis Management Experiences of Emergency Nurses in the Disaster of the Century: A Qualitative Study

Objective: It is a matter of curiosity what kind of a crisis emergency department nurses experienced regarding patient care and what kind of a solution method they developed to cope with this crisis during the two major earthquakes in Turkey, which were called "the disaster of the century". The problems experienced during patient care in a major disaster and the solutions developed need to be known to take precautions against greater threats. The research aimed to determine the experiences of emergency department nurses regarding the crises encountered in the disaster of the century by investigating them in depth. Methods: This is a qualitative study. This study was conducted with 18 nurses working in the emergency department of the pilot hospital, which was the tertiary care center in the disaster of the century, using in-depth interviews, and a qualitative research method. The data were subjected to content analysis. Results: As a result of content analysis, three main and five sub-themes were identified. The themes were: (1) problems related to safety; for patient and employee safety, (2) disruptions in patient care; teamwork, and support from other institutions, (3) psychosocial breakdown of emergency department nurses; burnout, anxiety, and helplessness. Conclusion: According to the statements of the participants, all necessary precautions were taken in terms of patient and staff safety, number of personnel, and material support to prevent serious crises during patient care. With the facilities available and offered, emergency clinic nurses took part in patient care in the emergency clinic for days without interruption. In the disaster of the century, it was determined that emergency clinic nurses were ready for patient care, but especially women experienced a complete psychosocial collapse.