Issues raised by nurses and midwives in a post-disaster Bantul community
Abstract
Purpose
Bantul in Central Java was the most severely damaged area by a devastating earthquake in May 2006. Even after being victims themselves, nurses and midwives at public health centers worked devotedly. The purpose of this paper is to identify the nurses’ and midwives’ perceptions and understanding of their roles, as well as the needs of training in disaster preparedness and management.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus group discussions and questionnaire survey were conducted with 11 nurses and 11 midwives of public health centers in Bantul. Content analysis was applied to analyze transcripts of the focus group discussions and the responses to questionnaire.
Findings
Health care for survivors and community were provided by highly committed health professionals supported in strong community resilience. Donors driven relief programs tended to be unorganized and insensitive for local health providers. Besides, organized disaster management trainings are strongly needed to develop disaster nursing and preparedness.
Research limitations/implications
Embedded problems of local health system and current nursing practice were highlighted.
Originality/value
Focus group discussions provided vital information that can and must be used to improve disaster response capabilities. Moreover, it was equally it is crucial to examine carefully what unfolded during post-disaster intervention.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors deeply appreciate the cooperation of nurses and midwives who participated in this study, and the assistance of School of Nursing, Gadja Mada University, to coordinate this study with local government. The authors would also like to thank Dr Glenn, a visiting professor of Kobe University, for his kind advice based on the abundant knowledge in disaster nursing.
Citation
Sugino, M., Dwi Hapsari, E., Madyaningrum, E., Haryant, F., Warsini, S., Takada, S. and Matsuo, H. (2014), "Issues raised by nurses and midwives in a post-disaster Bantul community", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 420-436. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-05-2013-0086
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited