Chapter 21: Public Health Nursing Practice and the Disaster Management Cycle

Which statement about disasters is true? a. They can be natural or human-made. b. They can be relieved without assistance. c. There is always injury and death when a disaster occurs. d. The timing of a disaster does not influence the types of injuries that will occur.

ANS: A A disaster is any natural or human-made incident that causes disruption, destruction, and/or devastation requiring external assistance. Although natural incidents like earthquakes of hurricanes trigger many disasters, predictable and preventable human-made factors can further affect the disaster. In the disaster response phase, the incident type and time predict subsequent injuries and illnesses.

A nurse responding to a human-made disaster is responding to what likely source of the event? a. Structural collapse b. Communicable disease epidemics c. Mud slides d. Floods

ANS: A A structural collapse would be considered a human-made disaster. Communicable disease epidemics, mud slides, and floods are natural disasters.

A nurse is working in a temporary shelter for victims following a natural disaster. Which condition is the nurse most likely to personally encounter? a. Stress b. Communicable disease c. Depression d. Injuries requiring first aid

ANS: A Causes of stress can be the shock of the disaster itself, loss of personal possessions, fear of the unknown, living near total strangers, and boredom. Illnesses requiring first aid and communicable diseases are not the primary concern of the nurse working in the shelter. Immediately following the disaster, it is unlikely that the victims will immediately encounter depression because of the shock of the disaster.

A public health worker displayed a competency in disaster medicine and public health. Which of the following describes what the worker has successfully accomplished? a. Communicating effectively with others b. Participating in the chain of command c. Using a set of standardized activities for every disaster d. Implementing a community assessment

ANS: A Communicating effectively with others in a disaster or public health emergency is one of the competencies demonstrated in disaster medicine and public health. Involvement in the chain of command, using a set of preplanned activities for every disaster, and implementing a community assessment are not part of these competencies.

A public health nurse (PHN) is working with a community during the recovery phase of a disaster. Which of the following attributes would be most important for the nurse to possess? a. Flexibility b. Organization skills c. Personable d. Sense of humor

ANS: A Flexibility is key to a successful recovery operation. The role of the PHN in the recovery phase of a disaster is as varied as in the preparedness and response phases, but the PHN's connection to the community puts the PHN in an incredible position of knowledge and awareness on the interprofessional recovery team. The attributes of being organized, personable, and having a sense of humor are not as important as flexibility when dealing with this phase of the disaster.

A riverfront community builds a retaining wall to divert flood water away from the town. Which term describes this action? a. Mitigation b. A natural disaster c. Community resilience d. Rapid needs assessment

ANS: A Mitigation is defined as actions or measures that can either prevent the occurrence of a disaster or reduce the severity of the effects. A natural disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane, causes disruption, destruction, and/or devastation requiring external assistance. Community resilience is defined as the sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity. A rapid needs assessment is based on the traditional model of community assessment where there is a rapid appraisal of a sector or region's population, social systems, and geophysical features.

A nurse is triaging victims following a disaster. Which of the following describes the action the nurse would take? a. Allocation of treatment based on the victim's potential for survival b. Assignment of tasks to the appropriate disaster response personnel c. Determination of the level of disaster and agency involvement d. Participation in community preparedness for the disaster response

ANS: A The triage process in disaster involves separating the casualties and allocating treatment based on the victim's potential for survival. Assignment of tasks to the appropriate disaster response personnel, determination of the level of disaster and agency involvement, and participation in community preparedness for the disaster response are not part of the triage process.

A nurse is working with an older person following a disaster. Which of the following emotions of the client should be anticipated by the nurse? a. Anger b. Fear of loss of independence c. Violence d. Regression

ANS: B A common reaction of older persons experiencing disaster may be fear of loss of independence. Young children may respond with regression. The community in general may respond will feelings of anger, sorrow, guilt, and perceived blame for the disaster or the outcomes of the disaster. Violence should not be anticipated with any of the populations discussed in the text.

A nurse is volunteering on a disaster medical assistant team as a first responder. Which of the following tasks would the nurse be prepared to perform? a. Set up immunization clinics. b. Assist in triaging disaster victims. c. Provide all the medical care for disaster victims. d. Complete a needs assessment of the community.

ANS: B As a first responder arriving on the scene, the plans for triaging of disaster victims should begin immediately. Setting up immunization clinics would not be a priority following a disaster. In responding to a disaster, it may be impossible to provide all of the medical care for disaster victims. It would not be appropriate to start with completing a needs assessment of the community following a disaster; this should be done before the disaster occurs.

A nurse is working in a community that is experiencing the honeymoon phase after a disaster. Which of the following is characteristic of this phase? a. First responders work tirelessly to save others. b. Survivors share their stories. c. Medical personnel experience exhaustion. d. Community organizations rebuild the community.

ANS: B During the honeymoon phase, survivors rejoice for their survival and may share their experiences and stories. First responders work tirelessly to save others during the heroic phase. Medical personnel experience exhaustion during the disillusionment phase. The community begins to rebuild during the reconstruction phase.

A bioterrorism attack has occurred in the United States. Which program would be used to provide large quantities of medications to the American public? a. Cities Readiness Initiative b. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) c. Public Health Information Network (PHIN) d. Project BioShield

ANS: B The SNS has the capacity to provide large quantities of medicine and medical supplies to protect the American public in a public health emergency. The Cities Readiness Initiative aids cities in increasing their capacity to deliver medicines and medical supplies during a public health emergency. The PHIN helps ensure information access and sharing. Project BioShield is a program to develop and produce new drugs and vaccines against potential bioweapons.

A nurse is examining the future of disaster management. Which of the following should the nurse anticipate? a. Vague and unorganized future due to constant emergence of new disasters b. Increasing sophistication in technology and surveillance c. Lack of involvement by national and state officials d. Decreasing need for public health workers to provide care

ANS: B The terrorist event of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax cases have increased the awareness for the need to plan for disasters. Technology and surveillance will continue to advance. Disaster management continues to change and become more organized as learning occurs after each incident, producing progressive best practices. National and state officials are very involved in disaster management. PHNs are particularly critical members of the multidisciplinary disaster health team given their population-based nursing focus and specialty knowledge in epidemiology and community assessment skills.

Why do acts of bioterrorism or natural disasters often have more casualties? a. They cause the most widespread destruction. b. Victims have little time to make evacuation preparations. c. Those with chronic conditions cannot escape in time. d. The early warning systems are not effective.

ANS: B The use of weapons of mass destruction or natural disasters, such as earthquakes, will often have more casualties because victims have little time to make evacuation preparations. The other answers are false.

A nurse responding to a natural disaster is most likely responding to what concern? a. Transportation accident b. Pollution c. Communicable disease epidemic d. Fire

ANS: C A communicable disease epidemic would be considered a natural disaster. Transportation saccidents, pollution, and fire are considered human-made disasters.

A nurse is assessing persons arriving at an alternate care center following a disaster. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first? a. Assess the amount of equipment and medications needed for each client. b. Determine if the client has a psychological condition requiring special attention. c. Assess whether this type of facility is appropriate for the client. d. Determine if the client has a support system to assist with additional care needs.

ANS: C Alternate care centers may be used to shelter patients with medical needs designated as "non-ambulatory care/hospital overflow," for example, care of non-ambulatory patients with less intense medical needs. After determination of the appropriateness of the facility, the nurse can then provide medical care as needed. It should not be necessary to initially determine if the client has a psychological condition or calculate the amount of equipment or medications the client will need.

What is the purpose of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)? a. Create a new branch of government that deals with bioterrorism. b. Establish a way for the Red Cross to carry out its mission. c. Develop a nationwide all-hazards approach to domestic incident management. d. Extend presidential power to act quickly upon acts of bioterrorism.

ANS: C The National Response Framework is a unified, all-discipline, all-hazards approach to domestic incident management. It is built upon scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating structures to align key roles and responsibilities linking all levels of government and organizations. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 created a new branch of government that deals with bioterrorism, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The NIMS did not impact the Red Cross or extend presidential power to act upon bioterrorism.

Community preparedness is being used to plan for a disaster. Which of the following tasks is being implemented? a. Assembling emergency supplies b. Understanding the workplace disaster plan c. Taking a disaster training course d. Developing an evacuation plan to remove individuals from danger

ANS: D Community preparedness involves developing an evacuation plan to remove individuals from danger. Assembling emergency supplies is an example of individual preparedness. Understanding the workplace disaster plan is an example of preparedness in the workplace within the community. Taking a disaster training course is an example of professional preparedness.

Which statement describes what occurs during the preparedness stage of disaster management? a. Heightened inspection and increased security in the community b. Incorporation of provision for pets into local disaster plans c. Purchase of personal protective equipment for all citizens d. Assembly of disaster kits for the home, workplace, and car

ANS: D Disaster kit assembly for the home, workplace, and car, especially by nurses, occurs during the preparedness phase. Heightened inspection and increased security in the community is part of the prevention activities. Purchase of personal protective equipment for all citizens and incorporation of provision of pets into local disaster plans are not realistic plans for preparedness.

A nurse responding to a disaster places the priority on which disaster response? a. Cleaning up the environment b. Handling the stress reaction of the victims c. Bringing in as many aid workers and nurses as possible d. Reestablishing sanitary barriers and focus on basic needs

ANS: D Reestablishing sanitary barriers and focusing on water, food, waste disposal, vector control, shelter, and safety are the first goals. After this has been established, the nurse can address the cleanup of the environment, the stress reactions of the victims, and the need to bring in additional workers.

A nurse experiencing a stress reaction while working with the survivors of a disaster is likely to experience what problem? a. Making effective decisions to assist with care coordination of the survivors b. Sharing with the supervisor of the disaster the details of the care that was provided c. Crying after returning home at the end of the day d. Refusing to follow orders

ANS: D Symptoms that may signal a need for stress management assistance include the following: being reluctant or refusing to leave the scene until the work is finished; denying needed rest and recovery time; feelings of overriding stress and fatigue; engaging in unnecessary risk-taking activities; difficulty communicating thoughts, remembering instructions, making decisions, or concentrating; engaging in unnecessary arguments; having a limited attention span; and refusing to follow orders.

A nurse is developing and coordinating an emergency response plan for a community. With which of the following organizations would the nurse collaborate? a. American Red Cross (ARC) b. National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) c. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) d. Emergency Management Agency (EMA)

ANS: D The EMA is responsible for developing and coordinating emergency response plans in a defined area. The ARC works with communities in the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of a disaster. The CDC studies the effect that disasters have on population health and continuously develops new prevention strategies. The NDMS provides nurses the opportunity to work on specialized disaster response teams.