Faculty of Psychology and Education, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 22;19(9):5097. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095097.
As of 11 October 2020, Sabah comprised a quarter of all COVID19 cases reported in Malaysia since the start of the pandemic last January 2020. In this pandemic, nurses serve in vital roles to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. This study aims to explore the nurses' preparedness in managing the COVID-19 outbreak situation in Sabah, Malaysia, examining the contextual (e.g., participated in an actual major disaster event) and demographic factors (e.g., age and working experience that may influence nurses' preparedness for managing the COVID-19 pandemic). A total of 317 nurses in Sabah, Malaysia were involved in this study. The Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) contained 41 items and was used to assess civilian nurses' perceived familiarity with 9 competency dimensions of preparedness. The mean scores of nurses' preparedness indicated a moderate level of nurses' preparedness in managing the COVID-19 pandemic (mean ranging from 2.89 to 3.79). The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the nurses who actively participate in an actual major disaster event and who were not active in a total of preparedness and all dimensions ( = 2.79, df = 285, = 0.006) (except in familiarity with decontamination and familiarity with special populations), across working experience (F(2,291) = 5.09, = 0.007) (except familiarity with Incident Command System and role), and age among nurses ((F(3,290) = 2.68, = 0.047)) (total of preparedness, familiarity with ethical issues in triage, epidemiology, and surveillance, and psychological issues). Overall, this study has made a significant theoretical contribution, as well as in clinical implications in the field of nursing practice, by addressing the impact of contextual and demographic factors on nurses' preparedness in managing the COVID-19 outbreak situation. This study will help nurses to understand the skills, abilities, knowledge, and actions needed to respond, mitigate, and prepare for emergencies during pandemics and disasters.
截至 2020 年 10 月 11 日，沙巴占马来西亚自 2020 年 1 月大流行开始以来报告的所有 COVID19 病例的四分之一。在这场大流行中，护士在减轻 COVID-19 影响方面发挥着至关重要的作用。本研究旨在探讨马来西亚沙巴护士在管理 COVID-19 疫情爆发方面的准备情况，考察情境因素（例如，是否参与过实际的重大灾害事件）和人口统计学因素（例如，年龄和工作经验可能会影响护士管理 COVID-19 大流行的准备情况）。共有 317 名沙巴护士参与了这项研究。应急准备信息问卷（EPIQ）包含 41 个项目，用于评估平民护士对准备应对 COVID-19 大流行的 9 个能力维度的熟悉程度。护士准备情况的平均得分表明，护士在管理 COVID-19 大流行方面的准备情况处于中等水平（平均得分范围为 2.89 至 3.79）。结果表明，在积极参与实际重大灾害事件和不积极参与总准备情况和所有维度的护士之间存在显著差异（=2.79，df=285，=0.006）（除了对去污和对特殊人群的熟悉程度），以及工作经验（F（2,291）=5.09，=0.007）（除了对事件指挥系统和角色的熟悉程度），以及护士的年龄（（F（3,290）=2.68，=0.047）（总准备情况、分诊中的道德问题、流行病学和监测以及心理问题的熟悉程度）。总的来说，这项研究在理论上和护理实践领域的临床意义上都做出了重大贡献，它探讨了情境和人口统计学因素对护士管理 COVID-19 疫情爆发情况的准备情况的影响。这项研究将帮助护士了解在大流行和灾害期间应对、减轻和应对紧急情况所需的技能、能力、知识和行动。
