Evaluation of disaster preparedness training and disaster drill for nursing students

Background: Preparedness and preventive measures are needed to reduce the impact of disasters. Disaster preparedness training for nurses has a long history. However, the effectiveness of disaster preparedness training for nursing students has been limited, to some extent, since they have been based on self-evaluation. Objective: The study attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of a disaster preparedness training program followed by a disaster drill designed for nursing students. Participants: Participants were undergraduate students from Universitas Gadjah Mada and diploma students from four randomly chosen nursing colleges located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 309 students participated in the training program whereas 225 students participated in the disaster drill. Methods: The present study conducted in-class training followed by a disaster drill and evaluated using 3 components: pre-test and post-test evaluation of knowledge (score range: 0-20), observation of skills during disaster drill (5-point Likert scale), and a structured one-to-one interview of participants' responses to the training and drill process. Results: Pre-test and post-test evaluation scores showed significant improvement (P < 0.01, paired t-test) for both university and diploma students. Almost all observation items during the disaster drill were above 4.0 (on 5-point Likert scale). Interview results showed that most participants responded positively. Conclusions: The present study completely evaluated the effectiveness of a disaster preparedness training and disaster drill: The training and drill improved the knowledge and ability of disaster preparedness for both undergraduate and diploma students. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.