Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma

The effect of training on the management of nuclear disasters by emergency department nurses and physicians

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Alireza Ala
Farzad Rahmani
Reza Aslzad
Zahra Parsian

Emergency Medicine Research Team, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.15171/jept.2017.20
Abstract
Objective: On account of the widespread use of nuclear energy in different fields, nuclear accidents and disasters have been on a rise. Thus, it is crucial for medical staff especially emergency department personnel to be aware of the nature of these accidents. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of training on the knowledge of physicians and nurses regarding nuclear disasters.
Methods: This pre-and post-intervention study was conducted on 97 emergency department personnel including physicians and nurses of educational hospitals in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Educational classes and training about nuclear disasters and managing these events were held. A standard questionnaire was used to evaluate the knowledge before and after training, and the effect of education on personnel’s knowledge.
Results: Our participants included 41 males and 56 females. The mean age was 32.88 years. The mean score of participants before and after the class was 4.03 ± 1.54 and 7.93 ± 1.55 respectively; which showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Among medical staff, physicians had better knowledge compared with the other group.
Conclusion: This study showed that the knowledge of medical staff about nuclear disasters is low and educational classes are necessary to increase their knowledge.

Keywords

Disasters
Nuclear accidents
Education
Emergency Service
Hospital
Subjects
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Journal of Emergency Practice and Trauma
Volume 4, Issue 1
January 2018
Pages 14-17

  • Receive Date 20 February 2017
  • Revise Date 25 May 2017
  • Accept Date 25 May 2017

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