'Disaster Nursing' Discussed After Devastating Earthquake

A 'Nurses' Week Event' was organized under the leadership of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences and NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi. 'Disaster Nursing' was the topic discussed during the event, held as part of the University Culture course. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector and Chairman of the Executive Board Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, and Head of the Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Selma Doğan delivered opening speeches.

"First, we are human, then doctors, then healthcare professionals"

Speaking at the program held at the Health Campus Ibn Sina Auditorium, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized the importance of pre-disaster risk management; "First of all, I thank the Head of the Nursing Department for being proactive immediately after the February 6 disaster of the century, bringing this issue to the agenda as an educational material during Nurses' Week. I also thank the Turkish Nurses Association very much for their support; it made us very happy that our esteemed president is here. Disaster is very important in intervention. First, we are human, then doctors, then healthcare professionals; we must not forget this. It is essential to be able to intervene without ignoring humanitarian elements and to have prior knowledge about trauma psychology. The most important thing in disaster intervention during trauma or disaster events is to conduct pre-disaster risk management. When it is not done before a disaster, the event is tried to be managed with sudden decisions and daily reactions. However, preparation is made beforehand, a crisis plan is created, and then intervention is carried out.” he said.

"Without mental transformation, there can be no disaster management"

Tarhan emphasized that prejudices about disasters must be broken; "To learn disaster management, prior knowledge about disaster preparedness, the study and understanding of risk management, and preparation for it are essential. Crises for which preparations are made are overcome quickly. Since a person knows in advance when and how to react, crisis management and disaster management become healthier. Disaster management is certainly a mental process. Without mental transformation, there can be no disaster management. It is important that we correct our prejudices and fears about disasters in our minds and prepare ourselves mentally for them,” he stated.

"Crisis management needs to be done well"

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak, addressing the importance of the Disaster Nursing event, said; "Thank you for bringing up a current issue, and I hope it will be beneficial. The professional group that directly deals with patients needs to have a good understanding of patient psychology and first aid. In other words, they need to manage crises very well. In natural disasters, you, doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals, are the first to deal with first aid and the processes after aid. If this situation is not managed well, problems are certain to arise. If you feel well-equipped, I am sure the outcome of the service you provide will be very good,” he stated.

"A person should never lose their roots"

Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, emphasizing that the healthcare field is a team effort, said; "Our country, due to its geographical location, is prone to experiencing earthquakes, fires, frost events, and various social incidents, making it suitable for them to occur together. There are buildings in societies that should never be destroyed. Hospitals, schools, state institutions are places of refuge for people. If we do not create appropriate investments and infrastructure in these areas, we recently lost 50,000 lives. This means we still haven't fully grasped this issue in our minds and hearts. A person should never lose their roots. Within this current work, we need to perform our duties very well. We need to organize ourselves very well. I hope this becomes one of the most important lessons we, as a society, need to learn. Healthcare is a team effort. As they say, in some matters, the services of healthcare professionals are invaluable, truly invaluable,” he said.

"We thought disaster nursing should be prioritized"

Prof. Dr. Selma Doğan, Head of the Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, who came to the podium within the scope of the opening speeches and spoke about the devastating effects of the earthquake, said; "This year, especially after the earthquake disaster we experienced and evaluating other past disasters, we thought that we should prioritize the issue of disaster nursing. It would not be wrong to say that we are a disaster-prone country. As a country, we are going through difficult times. Especially the great earthquake disaster we experienced in the last 3 months deeply shook all of us, especially the people in the earthquake zone, and its effects are still ongoing. It seems that these effects will continue for many years. On this occasion, I wish Allah's mercy upon our people, healthcare professionals, and colleagues who lost their lives in the earthquake. I wish patience and strength to their relatives and loved ones. I also wish a speedy recovery to our citizens who are still hospitalized or otherwise injured and ill. At the same time, I convey my gratitude and thanks to our colleagues and healthcare professionals who worked and served during this process. However, this earthquake showed us one more thing: we are not prepared for earthquakes,” she said.

After the opening speeches were completed, the conference featured the ICN 2023 theme; "Our Nurses, Our Future" and a presentation on the Turkish Nurses Association's work in the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake, delivered by Association President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azize Atlı Özbaş.
The 'Nursing in Disasters Panel' continued under the moderation of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sebahat Ateş, Faculty Member of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Nursing Department. In the panel, Prof. Dr. Seher Deniz Öztekin presented on 'Disaster Nursing,' Specialist Nurse Yasemin Kılıç on 'Nursing Experiences in the Kahramanmaraş-centered Earthquake,' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Figen İnci on 'The Impact of Disasters on Nurses: Secondary Trauma and Prevention Methods,' and Fatma Kartaloğlu Agay on 'Nurses' Responsibilities in Hospital Disaster Plans'.

The event concluded with plaque presentations and a group photo session.

Reporter: Tarkan Küçükgüzel - Ece Albayrak 

Photography: Tarkan Küçükgüzel -Ece Albayrak