Events in recent years — such as Hurricane Katrina, the deadly Asian tsunami of 2004, the threat of a bird flu pandemic and post 9/11 concerns about bioterrorism — has disasters on the minds of the public and nurses more than ever. Almost all disasters have some health impact, and since they are the largest group of health care providers, nurses play a large role in responding to them.
"Nurses want and need to know how to be better prepared," said Cheryl Peterson, senior policy analyst with the American Nurses Association. "We know that, with every disaster, there comes a change in the standard of care. Nurses and others need to know how to approach situations where there will be decreased human and material resources and a limited work environment.
"We need to know what kind of guidance to give nurses in these situations, based on our code of ethics, scope of practice and other documents that have been written on disaster preparedness."
Previously, there was no comprehensive policy guide for nurses working on the ground during disasters, Peterson said. "We saw with Katrina that practitioners in difficult circumstances had to make some very difficult decisions. This kind of guidance is needed," she said.
At a ground-breaking ANA conference, a multidisciplinary task force will present guidelines and ask attendees to provide their input on the issue.
The ANA's 2007 quadrennial policy conference, "Nursing Care in Life, Death and Disaster," will be held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on June 20-22. The event will be sponsored by the American Nurses Association and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing.
Expert panelists will present an overview of the different types of disasters that the United States faces, the coordinated response that needs to happen at the federal, state and local levels and the legal and regulatory implications of an altered standard of care. Other sessions will focus on the challenges of allocating scarce resources; how to protect health care facilities, workers and their families; and how to care for populations with special needs such as the mentally ill, people who have disabilities, children and the elderly.
Attendees will be able to respond to the white paper prior to and during the conference through interactive workshops and panels. The bold approach to policy-making is designed to give the ANA constituency a seat at the table where they can influence outcomes.
The organization is encouraging registered nurses, nurse managers, nurse educators, regulators, disaster planners and responders, health care professionals and disaster policy-makers at all levels to attend.
"The reality of any response is that it will be multidisciplinary," Peterson said. "To the extent that we can all be thinking in the same way, the better it will be for everyone."
The conference will provide an abundance of disaster preparedness education to nurses, and provide 18 hours of continuing education credit. There are two pre-conferences: Teaching Caring Professionals to Take Care (June 18-19); and Basic Disaster Life Support (June 19); and a post-conference: American Red Cross Disaster Training Workshop (June 23).
"We're hearing back from our constituents that disaster preparedness is a timely and necessary subject," Peterson said. "People seem eager to participate and learn."
IF YOU GO
What: American Nurses Association 2007 Quadrennial Policy Conference
When: June 20-22
Where: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. N.E.
Cost: $550 to $595, depending on organizational affiliation
Information: 703-548-0619; anareg@cistems.org; http://nursingworld.org/meetings/2007/quadpolicy.