EVALUATING NURSES’ DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: A COMPARATIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS OF ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background:

Disaster preparedness is an essential part of hospital resilience that requires coordinated responses from healthcare professionals who are at the forefront. Nurses make the largest workforce in hospitals, and they play a pivotal role in all phases of disaster management. However, limited disaster-specific training and institutional preparedness continue to challenge effective response in many healthcare settings.

Objective:

To assess the disaster preparedness among registered nurses in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Islamabad and to compare preparedness level between both public and private hospital settings. 

Materials and Methods: This was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted in September 2025 among 300 registered nurses selected through simple convenience sampling from two public and two private tertiary care hospitals. Data was collected using a validated questionnaire.

Descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics including independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were performed using SPSS version 26.0.

Results: 

Overall disaster preparedness was moderate (M = 3.31, SD = ±0.96). Among domains, knowledge scored highest [M = 3.49 (SD ±1.066)], followed by attitude [M = 3.32 (SD ±1.17)], and practice [M = 3.12 (SD ±1.05)], Nurses in public hospitals reported significantly higher knowledge, attitude, and overall preparedness than those in private hospitals (p < .05). No notable differences were found by gender or years of experience (p > .05). 

Conclusion:

Nurses demonstrated moderate disaster preparedness showing stronger grasp of theoretical concepts than practical skills. To improve the level of preparedness among nurses, hospital-based disaster training programs, regular simulation drills, and adequate administrative support collectively helps in increasing nurses’ competency and ensuring effective disaster response within healthcare settings.