Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in early November of this year and caused devastating results. In fact, there has been an approximation that over 10,000 people will eventually be announced as deceased either directly from this natural disaster or as a result of its secondary effects. In addition to the number of innocent people killed, many more were left injured, homeless, and without food and water. Being one of the worst natural disasters, typhoon Haiyan has reminded citizens, governmental organizations, rescuers, and health care providers all over the world that these tragedies will still occur no matter what preventative measures are in place (CNN, 2013). Therefore, evaluating health care resources prior to these occurrences is key in managing and providing safe and effective care following the event.
When relating natural disasters to public health and nursing, it is essential to evaluate nurses and their preparedness in these tragic situations. According to Baack & Alfred (2013), nurses report not being prepared for disastrous situations unless they have spent time providing care in either emergency departments or rescue missions. Without the experience of caring for people who have been injured from natural disasters such as: hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, tornadoes, or floods, nurses are unaware of their roles in these terrible circumstances. Unfortunately, disaster preparedness is currently not a component within nursing curriculums, and nurses in their professional careers are unfamiliar with how their facilities are designed to respond to the aftermath of disastrous situations. Nurses also lack training in regards to the appropriate and necessary communication needed when a disaster occurs. As a result, there is room for improvement in the field of nursing in regards to responding quickly and effectively to natural disasters (Baack & Alfred, 2013).
Nurses make up a large portion of the healthcare system, so it is essential that they are aware of their roles when disasters occur. Disaster preparedness, specifically in relation to typhoon Haiyan, applies to public health nursing, because these health care providers can work to provide the field of nursing with more training on triage and effective communication in disastrous situations. First, it is important to allow nurses to have hands-on experiences either in the United States or abroad during times of tragedy and natural disasters. Second, it is crucial to include rescue and response courses into nursing education in order to prepare future nurses for these events. Finally, hospital administration should work to construct on-going education programs in the hospital setting in order to remind nursing staff of the actions that they need to take when a disaster does occur. Managing patients following these catastrophic events is quite challenging, and this proper training will allow the field of nursing to provide overall quality care (Baack & Alfred, 2013).
In relation to the current aftermath of typhoon Haiyan, more nurses could potentially assist with disaster care in the treatment of patients who are suffering from pneumonia. Typically following a typhoon, public health care professionals usually predict a high occurrence of diarrhea and amputations, but due to the damp and rainy weather, poor nutrition, absence of shelter, and the lack of clean and dry clothing in the Philippines, pneumonia has been one of the most common health concerns among those affected by the typhoon (The New York Times, 2013). As a result, more nurses could potentially help provide care and treatment of innocent victims from disastrous situations now and in the future if provided with the proper training and education.
