Are emergency care nurses prepared for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive incidents?

Two main areas exist within emergency care where chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive preparedness can be focused: departmental preparedness and staff preparedness. This study focused upon the latter. Aim: To identify areas where nurses require training in order to improve preparedness for a CBRNe incident. Methods: A competency questionnaire was developed from the literature and completed by 50 nursing staff across three Emergency Departments within one NHS Trust in Northern Ireland. Descriptive analysis was used for the quantitative data along with content analysis for the qualitative questions. Results: Six key areas were identified for training; waste management (including clinical waste, contaminated clothing, contaminated water and the management of the contaminated deceased), Triage, Chain of command, PODs, awareness of the range of Personal Protective Equipment and its appropriate use and the decontamination of people and equipment. Conclusion: There is a need for a standardised 'blueprint' of role-specific competency criteria for a CBRNe incident for all emergency healthcare staff. The assessment tool used in this study can help to assess levels of preparedness amongst nursing staff and, if adapted accordingly, help gauge preparedness of other key healthcare professionals. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.