Disaster Management Educational Intervention: A Key to Reduce Internship Nursing Students' COVID 19 Fear

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Lecturer of Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt

2 Assistant Professor of Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 as a disaster is attacking the world as we are in a war that
produced a larger number of deaths and patients. Health care providers including internship
nursing students are considered our soldiers in that war, so they shouldn't be afraid when
facing any disaster. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of disaster
management educational intervention on internship nursing students’ COVID - 19 Fear.
Methods: Quasi-Experimental pre-test and post-test designs were conducted using one
group. A convenience sample (N = 110) of internship nursing students who trained at
Menoufia University hospitals and Shebin Elkom teaching hospital. Three instruments were
applied, which were a Self-administered questionnaire to assess nursing intern students’
knowledge, Self-reported questionnaire to assess intern students’ practices regarding disaster
management, and COVID-19 Fear scale to assess internship nursing students’ fear. Results:
This study revealed that internship nursing students’ COVID-19 fear at the post- and follow
up intervention was reduced. Also, there was a highly significant difference in the internship
nursing students' COVID-19 fear level between pre- and post-intervention and between pre
intervention and follow-up intervention at p≤ 0.001. Conclusions: The effectiveness of
disaster management educational intervention had been achieved in reducing internship
nursing students’ COVID-19 fear. So, intern students should be trained and equipped to deal
with disaster management. Recommendation: The undergraduate and postgraduate nursing
curriculum should include the discipline of disaster management and continuous, and
recurrent disaster management training programs are conducted during undergraduate or
graduate education to reduce COVID-19 fear.

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