Objective: The review will synthesize current evidence regarding the experiences of nurses who care for people living in shelters following natural hazards and disasters.
Introduction: Over the last decade, due to climate change and global warming, the damage caused by natural hazards and disasters like hurricanes, floods and heavy rainfall has been steadily growing. Following natural hazards and disasters, many who lose their homes reside in evacuation shelters for prolonged periods. The loss of medical infrastructure in disaster-stricken areas can result in evacuees' health being compromised and the spread of disease and/or infection. Under such circumstances, disaster relief nurses can play a critical role in supporting these victims. This review aims to provide useful information for nurses who are working in disaster shelters.
Inclusion criteria: The review will include qualitative studies examining experiences of nurses caring for people living in shelters following natural hazards and disasters, published in either English or Japanese. Studies published from 2000 to the present will be considered.
Methods: The review will follow the meta-aggregation approach developed by JBI. Published and unpublished studies will be searched using major international databases and other relevant databases for gray literature in either English or Japanese. Two reviewers will independently appraise studies and extract qualitative data using the JBI standardized critical appraisal and extraction instruments. Findings from the review will be categorized according to their similarity in meaning and their categories subjected to a meta-synthesis to produce a single comprehensive set of synthesized findings. The final synthesized findings will be graded according to the ConQual approach.