Investigating Factors Influencing Disaster Preparedness Perception of Nurses in Turkey: A Meta-Analytic Approach

Aim and Background: In contemporary healthcare, the crucial importance of disaster preparedness and response within the nursing profession has gained recognition. Considering the elevated probability of encountering numerous disasters in Turkiye, it is noteworthy that limited research has been conducted in this domain. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the related factors to nurses' disaster preparedness Turkiye through a meta-analysis method. Methods: The study was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines. We searched the national databases in Turkiye and Web of Science Core Collection. Descriptive studies published in Turkish or English between 01.01.2000-31.12.2021 in Turkiye were included in the study to derive the pooled outputs. Results: A total of nine studies, encompassing a sample size of 3222 nurses, met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis' results revealed that gender and prior experience with disasters did not exhibit a statistically significant impact on nurses' disaster preparedness (p>0.05). Conversely, engaging in disaster education programs, familiarizing oneself with disaster plans, and actively participating in disaster drills were found to have a significant positive effect on nurses' preparedness for disasters (p<0.05). However, it is worth noting that the analysis of disaster experience exhibited substantial heterogeneity (I-2=85.6%), indicating variations among the included studies. Similarly, the analysis related to reading disaster plans also demonstrated high heterogeneity (I-2=77.7%). Conclusion: Based on the available evidence from the meta-analysis, it can be concluded that receiving disaster education, reading disaster plans, and participating in disaster drills have a positive and significant impact on nurses' perception of disaster preparedness.