World Society Disaster Nursing (WSDN) 2026

Introduction: Nurses form the largest segment of the health workforce and play crucial roles in disaster response.Despite this, the scope of practice for Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) in disasters remains undefined, leading to inconsistent utilisation and preparedness.Background and purpose: It is well known that nurses are at the forefront of managing disasters, yet their complex role as clinicians and leaders is not always fully understood or appreciated by their communities.Advanced practice nurses are suited for these complex roles and should be involved with disaster and crisis mitigation from a leadership level.This study aims to identify and define the scope of practice of APNs within the disaster context to enhance disaster response capacity.Materials and methods: A qualitative design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with key informants experienced in disaster nursing.The aim was to explore the perceptions of advanced nurses' roles and identify the nature and scope of practice.Braun and Clarke's five-step framework was used for thematic analysis, and then these themes were sorted into the eight domains of the International Council of Nurses competencies for disasters.Results and conclusion: Nurses identified advanced practice roles as providing an overview of disaster response-managing teams, maintaining communication, and ensuring adequate resources and staffing.The study highlighted the critical leadership role of advanced practice nurses in disaster settings, informing education, workforce planning, and preparedness strategies.This work showed that nurses worked as team leaders and are crucial for the successful running of the response.