JGNAHS
30J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health SciJanuary - June 2025
:
:
https://doi.org/10.37762/jgnahs.146
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES OF UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS
RELATED TO DISASTER MANAGEMENT: A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS -SECTIONAL STUDY IN MMC
MARDAN
Shaista1, Absheen Rahman2, Muhammad Allahyar Khan3, Asif Mahmood4, Syed Babar Ali5, Iqra Ali6,
Zuhra Shakir7
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices
of undergraduate nursing students on disaster management.
METHODOLOGY
A quantitative cross-sectional study was done at Mardan Medical Complex,
Mardan, using a modified questionnaire administered among 145 nursing
students to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding disaster
management.
RESULTS
While 35.2% of students had enough knowledge of disaster management,
42.8% were aware of preparedness strategies. Most viewed disaster response
as a shared responsibility, with 83.3% desiring more education. Regarding
practices, 73.3% were willing to join response teams, and 70% felt confident
assessing victims, though 51% had not participated in disaster drills.
CONCLUSION
Nursing students showed adequate knowledge and positive attitudes toward
disaster management but would benefit from more practical training.
KEYWORDS: Nursing Students, Disaster Management, Knowledge,
Attitudes, Practices
How to cite this article
Shaista, Rahman A, Khan MA,
Mahmood A, Ali SB, Ali I, et al.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of
Undergraduate Nursing Students
Related to Disaster Management: A
Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study In
MMC Mardan. J Gandhara Nurs Alli
Health Sci. 2025;5(1):30-35
Date of Submission:
Date Revised:
Date Acceptance:
2BSN Final Year Student in MTI
College of Nursing Mardan
3BSN Final Year Student in MTI
College of Nursing Mardan
4BSN Final Year Student in MTI
College of Nursing Mardan
5
Assistant Professor, MTI College of
Nursing Mardan
6BSN Final Year Student in MTI
College of Nursing Mardan
7BSN Final Year Student in MTI
College of Nursing Mardan
Correspondence
1Shaista, Nursing Lecturer, MTI
College of Nursing Mardan
+92-346-3683270
adeeb8434@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
A disaster is an incidence that causes damage,
ecological disruption, loss of human life, or
deterioration of health and health services on a scale to
warrants an extraordinary response from the outside
community or area.1 Disaster is defined according to
the situation such as floods, earthquakes, and other
sudden losses. Disasters are common worldwide
events nowadays. These events can dramatically
impact many people, kill and injure them, damage and
destroy their houses, and health system, and interrupt
their lifeline.2 Disasters are unpredictable events that
can have significant impacts on communities, requiring
effective response strategies. Nurses play a crucial role
in disaster management, as they are often primary
healthcare providers during and after such events.
Understanding the knowledge, attitude, and practices
of undergraduate nursing students towards disaster
management is essential for preparing future healthcare
professionals to respond effectively to mass
emergencies. This literature review explores the
existing research on this topic, but our study aims to
assess/ explore/examine the knowledge, attitude, and
practices of undergraduate nursing students related to
disaster management. Disaster nursing encompasses
the planned use of nursing knowledge and skills to
abate health impacts and decrease dangerous risks
during disasters. Disasters affect every nation,
impacting people and societies economically, socially,
and politically. Their consequences often lead to death,
disability, financial loss, and a weakening in excellence
of life All countries and societies of the world have
been exposed to potential disasters. Disasters affect
various economic, social and political aspects of
individuals and societies, and their consequences bring
about death, disability, financial loss and reduced
quality of life.3 Disasters can happen anytime,
everywhere. Nearly three million people worldwide
may have been killed in the past 20 years due to natural
disasters such as landslides, earthquakes, floods,
tsunamis, snow avalanches, cyclones etc. Ninety per
07-11-2024
07-01-2025
16-01-2025
JGNAHS
31 J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health Sci January - June 2025
cent of the natural disasters and ninety-five per cent of
the total disaster-related deaths worldwide occur in
developing countries of which India has the second
largest share.4 There is no single way to manage
disaster, but disaster with each type has its
management regarding the situation. Natural disasters
include typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic
eruptions, landslides, and fires. Disasters frequently
strike around the world, posing severe public health
risks and negatively impacting lives, preparing for
disaster is one way to reduce the severity of disaster
impacts. The knowledge and capabilities developed by
governments, professional response and recovery
organizations, communities, and individuals to
effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from the
impacts of likely, imminent, or current hazard events or
conditions.5 Several studies have investigated the
knowledge of undergraduate nursing students regarding
disaster management. Similarly, conducted a cross-
sectional survey of 87 undergraduate students found
that most of them were well-informed about COVID-
19-related knowledge, and showed positive attitudes
and proactive practice during the outbreak, indicating
that effective health education was delivered by the
massive public education campaigns (especially via the
Internet).6 Medical students showed a good score of
knowledge which could be explained by their pieces of
training in clinical medicine and public health. The
tasks of upcoming healthcare professionals during a
pandemic encourage them to adopt positive attitudes
and active practices in auxiliary public health.
Furthermore, conducted a study, regards Knowledge
part, the study participants showed a lack of knowledge
level in disaster preparedness (mean score was 21.2 )
with highly significant differences P≤.000. Similarly,
also conducted a cross-sectional study on 76 nurses in
Mosul’s teaching hospital Iraq; they suggested that
knowledge need to be continually improved to change
the efficacy for disaster response and an integrated
emergency Preparedness Program to raising awareness
about disaster management.7,8 Moreover, A descriptive
cross-sectional pilot study was conducted by total of 51
students participated in this study.9 The participants
reported having a moderate level of knowledge, skill
and preparedness for dealing with disasters and their
management. Exactly, they verified low knowledge of
community emergency preparation and inadequate
alertness of disaster preparedness and management
developments accessible at their institute; additionally,
they also studies have demonstrated the effectiveness
of relevant knowledge and skills acquired by nursing
students after disaster training, thereby highlighting the
need to include them in the nursing curriculum. Also
conducted a study in which in the disaster knowledge
section, it was observed that respondents’ most
frequently chosen response was,- of my community." 10
This shows that the nurses showed an awareness of the
susceptibilities existing in their settings. So they
suggested that disaster management training is very
necessary for improving nurses’ knowledge, education
and response capacity in handling disasters.11 They
found that nursing students had positive attitudes but
lacked confidence due to inadequate knowledge and
training. The authors suggest incorporating basic life.
Support training in the college curriculum could be a
long-term strategy to enhance life support in
emergencies that benefit local communities. Similarly,
a study by regarding the attitude of undergraduate
nursing students toward disaster preparedness agreed
that disasters are likely to happen in any healthcare
setting and their response was good but they lack
proper knowledge about disaster management.12
Furthermore, findings revealed that the level of disaster
knowledge in disaster scenarios was below average,
with acceptable levels of attitudes regarding disaster
preparedness. However, the nurses’ level of awareness
of emergency procedures was found to be moderate
Conversely, the nursing students have a positive
attitude toward disaster preparedness, particularly
regarding their families safety.5 Shows that 84.9% of
undergraduate nursing students had a positive attitude
towards disaster management during a cross-sectional
study in Iraq.13 Practices refer to the actions and
behaviors undertaken by individuals in response to a
given situation in the context of disaster management it
is important to assess the extent to which
undergraduate nursing students engage in preparedness
activities and response efforts. So according to, The
professional readiness of nurses to carry out their
duties in such situations is very important.14 Different
studies indicated that nurses were not adequately
trained and prepared in such conditions. Considering
the increasing number of disasters and their
consequences as well as the role of health services
before, during, and after such incidents, the readiness
of staff of health services is critical. Therefore, it is
necessary to have active crisis management in all
hospitals and health centers. The purpose of this study
was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of
undergraduate nursing students on disaster
management.
METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional study was used to examine the
knowledge, attitudes and practices of undergraduate
nursing students regarding disaster management. A
random sample included 145 nursing students from the
final year and TNOs, who perform at least one full
rotation in MMC Mardan; this number reflects the
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
31 J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health Sci January - June 2025
cent of the natural disasters and ninety-five per cent of
the total disaster-related deaths worldwide occur in
developing countries of which India has the second
largest share.4 There is no single way to manage
disaster, but disaster with each type has its
management regarding the situation. Natural disasters
include typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic
eruptions, landslides, and fires. Disasters frequently
strike around the world, posing severe public health
risks and negatively impacting lives, preparing for
disaster is one way to reduce the severity of disaster
impacts. The knowledge and capabilities developed by
governments, professional response and recovery
organizations, communities, and individuals to
effectively anticipate, respond to, and recover from the
impacts of likely, imminent, or current hazard events or
conditions.5 Several studies have investigated the
knowledge of undergraduate nursing students regarding
disaster management. Similarly, conducted a cross-
sectional survey of 87 undergraduate students found
that most of them were well-informed about COVID-
19-related knowledge, and showed positive attitudes
and proactive practice during the outbreak, indicating
that effective health education was delivered by the
massive public education campaigns (especially via the
Internet).6 Medical students showed a good score of
knowledge which could be explained by their pieces of
training in clinical medicine and public health. The
tasks of upcoming healthcare professionals during a
pandemic encourage them to adopt positive attitudes
and active practices in auxiliary public health.
Furthermore, conducted a study, regards Knowledge
part, the study participants showed a lack of knowledge
level in disaster preparedness (mean score was 21.2 )
with highly significant differences P≤.000. Similarly,
also conducted a cross-sectional study on 76 nurses in
Mosul’s teaching hospital Iraq; they suggested that
knowledge need to be continually improved to change
the efficacy for disaster response and an integrated
emergency Preparedness Program to raising awareness
about disaster management.7,8 Moreover, A descriptive
cross-sectional pilot study was conducted by total of 51
students participated in this study.9 The participants
reported having a moderate level of knowledge, skill
and preparedness for dealing with disasters and their
management. Exactly, they verified low knowledge of
community emergency preparation and inadequate
alertness of disaster preparedness and management
developments accessible at their institute; additionally,
they also studies have demonstrated the effectiveness
of relevant knowledge and skills acquired by nursing
students after disaster training, thereby highlighting the
need to include them in the nursing curriculum. Also
conducted a study in which in the disaster knowledge
section, it was observed that respondents’ most
frequently chosen response was,- of my community." 10
This shows that the nurses showed an awareness of the
susceptibilities existing in their settings. So they
suggested that disaster management training is very
necessary for improving nurses’ knowledge, education
and response capacity in handling disasters.11 They
found that nursing students had positive attitudes but
lacked confidence due to inadequate knowledge and
training. The authors suggest incorporating basic life.
Support training in the college curriculum could be a
long-term strategy to enhance life support in
emergencies that benefit local communities. Similarly,
a study by regarding the attitude of undergraduate
nursing students toward disaster preparedness agreed
that disasters are likely to happen in any healthcare
setting and their response was good but they lack
proper knowledge about disaster management.12
Furthermore, findings revealed that the level of disaster
knowledge in disaster scenarios was below average,
with acceptable levels of attitudes regarding disaster
preparedness. However, the nurses’ level of awareness
of emergency procedures was found to be moderate
Conversely, the nursing students have a positive
attitude toward disaster preparedness, particularly
regarding their families safety.5 Shows that 84.9% of
undergraduate nursing students had a positive attitude
towards disaster management during a cross-sectional
study in Iraq.13 Practices refer to the actions and
behaviors undertaken by individuals in response to a
given situation in the context of disaster management it
is important to assess the extent to which
undergraduate nursing students engage in preparedness
activities and response efforts. So according to, The
professional readiness of nurses to carry out their
duties in such situations is very important.14 Different
studies indicated that nurses were not adequately
trained and prepared in such conditions. Considering
the increasing number of disasters and their
consequences as well as the role of health services
before, during, and after such incidents, the readiness
of staff of health services is critical. Therefore, it is
necessary to have active crisis management in all
hospitals and health centers. The purpose of this study
was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of
undergraduate nursing students on disaster
management.
METHODOLOGY
A cross-sectional study was used to examine the
knowledge, attitudes and practices of undergraduate
nursing students regarding disaster management. A
random sample included 145 nursing students from the
final year and TNOs, who perform at least one full
rotation in MMC Mardan; this number reflects the
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
JGNAHS
32J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health SciJanuary - June 2025
students who agreed the participate in the study as all
students from MMC were asked to complete the
questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practices
regarding disaster management. Data were gathered
from nursing students through the adopted modified
questionnaire, which was completed from September
15, 2024, until October 15, 2024. This questionnaire
regarding knowledge, attitude and practice regarding
disaster management was developed using a previous
study on preparedness for disaster. We adopted the
questionnaire, and then the validity of the tool was
received by three experts in nursing to assess its clarity,
feasibility, and applicability. The questionnaire had
four parts as the following: Personal characteristics of
the students consist of age, gender, living conditions,
academic year, and GPA. Knowledge about disaster
management: The questionnaire was 16 items adapted
from in which 1st four were ―nothing, little, more,
much moreǁ while the remaining 14 were ― yes, noǁ
questions with one point assigned to each question.
Attitudes toward disaster management: There are 11
statements in all for the Likert scale question. 1 point
for agreeing, 2 points for strongly agree, 3 for disagree
and 4 for unsure. Practice regarding disaster
management: it was adapted and modified from and
included six questions each one answering Yes =1 and
No= 2.15 Ethical approval has been taken from the IRB
committee. All subjects provided informed consent by
ethical standards. The students were advised that they
might discontinue the study at any moment, and the
data obtained was handled with confidence. After
finalizing the study tool, the actual data collection and
analysis were carried out during the academic year
2024. The Data is analyzed through SPSS version 26
software. The demographic and tool variables are
entered into the software and the data of the collection
tools is changed into numerical and categorical data to
maintain confidentiality. Through Microsoft Excel, the
total scores and percentages of the questions of quality
of care are concluded from data that further evaluate
for results. The overall result is converted to the
description. The demographic variables were then
concluded in the form of Tabulation. The results of the
tools are concluded in tabulation. Also, the contributing
factors from the result are elaborated in the discussion.
RESULTS
The study was conducted among graduated and
undergraduate nursing students. Through adopted
modified questionnaires. Questionnaires were
distributed manually among the students of different
colleges. MTI College of Nursing Mardan, provincial
health service authority, Elizabeth Rani College of
Nursing, and Mardan Institute of Nursing and Allied
Health Sciences, and the graduated students who
worked as interns in Mardan Medical Complex were
included in our study. Exclusion criteria are based on
those who are not willing to fill out the questionnaire.
1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year those were not exposed to
a clinical area regularly. A total of 145 student
participants successfully responded of which 52.4%
were male and 47.6% were female. In terms of age,
67.6% of the participants were between 23 to 27 31%
of them were in the category of 18 to 22 and 1.4% of
them were between 18 and 22. The academic years of
the majority of the participants were final year and
graduate i.e. 57.2% and 40.7% respectively. Keeping
an eye on the living conditions of the participants
59.3% of them were hostilities and were living away
from their homes while the rest 40.7% were enjoying
their lives with family at home. Looking through
academic achievement majority of the participants’
GPA lies in the category of average GPA i.e. from 3 to
4 while few of them score less than 3 GPA. As shown
in Table 1.
Table 1: Demographic
Variable Knowledge
Scores
Attitude
Scores
Practice
Scores
Gender p > 0.05 p > 0.05 p > 0.05
Living
Conditions
p > 0.05 p > 0.05 p > 0.05
Academic Year p < 0.05 p < 0.05 p > 0.05
Age p < 0.05 - -
Table 2: Nursing Students’ Knowledge of Disaster
Management
Nothin
g
Little More
Have you
previously heard
about the disaster
concept?
16(11.0
%)
33(22.8
%)
51(35.2
%)
Do you know about
disaster planning?
12(8.3
%)
44(30.3
%)
62(42.8
%)
Are you familiar
with the college
emergency
evacuation
procedure during a
disaster?
39(26.9
%)
55(37.9
%)
39(26.9
%)
Are you aware of
any specific exit
door for use during
the evacuation?
38(26.2
%)
38(26.2
%)
47(32.4
%)
Much
more
45(31.
0%)
27(18.
6%)
12(8.3
%)
22(15.
2%)
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
32J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health SciJanuary - June 2025
students who agreed the participate in the study as all
students from MMC were asked to complete the
questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practices
regarding disaster management. Data were gathered
from nursing students through the adopted modified
questionnaire, which was completed from September
15, 2024, until October 15, 2024. This questionnaire
regarding knowledge, attitude and practice regarding
disaster management was developed using a previous
study on preparedness for disaster. We adopted the
questionnaire, and then the validity of the tool was
received by three experts in nursing to assess its clarity,
feasibility, and applicability. The questionnaire had
four parts as the following: Personal characteristics of
the students consist of age, gender, living conditions,
academic year, and GPA. Knowledge about disaster
management: The questionnaire was 16 items adapted
from in which 1st four were ―nothing, little, more,
much moreǁ while the remaining 14 were ― yes, noǁ
questions with one point assigned to each question.
Attitudes toward disaster management: There are 11
statements in all for the Likert scale question. 1 point
for agreeing, 2 points for strongly agree, 3 for disagree
and 4 for unsure. Practice regarding disaster
management: it was adapted and modified from and
included six questions each one answering Yes =1 and
No= 2.15 Ethical approval has been taken from the IRB
committee. All subjects provided informed consent by
ethical standards. The students were advised that they
might discontinue the study at any moment, and the
data obtained was handled with confidence. After
finalizing the study tool, the actual data collection and
analysis were carried out during the academic year
2024. The Data is analyzed through SPSS version 26
software. The demographic and tool variables are
entered into the software and the data of the collection
tools is changed into numerical and categorical data to
maintain confidentiality. Through Microsoft Excel, the
total scores and percentages of the questions of quality
of care are concluded from data that further evaluate
for results. The overall result is converted to the
description. The demographic variables were then
concluded in the form of Tabulation. The results of the
tools are concluded in tabulation. Also, the contributing
factors from the result are elaborated in the discussion.
RESULTS
The study was conducted among graduated and
undergraduate nursing students. Through adopted
modified questionnaires. Questionnaires were
distributed manually among the students of different
colleges. MTI College of Nursing Mardan, provincial
health service authority, Elizabeth Rani College of
Nursing, and Mardan Institute of Nursing and Allied
Health Sciences, and the graduated students who
worked as interns in Mardan Medical Complex were
included in our study. Exclusion criteria are based on
those who are not willing to fill out the questionnaire.
1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year those were not exposed to
a clinical area regularly. A total of 145 student
participants successfully responded of which 52.4%
were male and 47.6% were female. In terms of age,
67.6% of the participants were between 23 to 27 31%
of them were in the category of 18 to 22 and 1.4% of
them were between 18 and 22. The academic years of
the majority of the participants were final year and
graduate i.e. 57.2% and 40.7% respectively. Keeping
an eye on the living conditions of the participants
59.3% of them were hostilities and were living away
from their homes while the rest 40.7% were enjoying
their lives with family at home. Looking through
academic achievement majority of the participants’
GPA lies in the category of average GPA i.e. from 3 to
4 while few of them score less than 3 GPA. As shown
in Table 1.
Table 1: Demographic
Variable Knowledge
Scores
Attitude
Scores
Practice
Scores
Gender p > 0.05 p > 0.05 p > 0.05
Living
Conditions
p > 0.05 p > 0.05 p > 0.05
Academic Year p < 0.05 p < 0.05 p > 0.05
Age p < 0.05 - -
Table 2: Nursing Students’ Knowledge of Disaster
Management
Nothin
g
Little More
Have you
previously heard
about the disaster
concept?
16(11.0
%)
33(22.8
%)
51(35.2
%)
Do you know about
disaster planning?
12(8.3
%)
44(30.3
%)
62(42.8
%)
Are you familiar
with the college
emergency
evacuation
procedure during a
disaster?
39(26.9
%)
55(37.9
%)
39(26.9
%)
Are you aware of
any specific exit
door for use during
the evacuation?
38(26.2
%)
38(26.2
%)
47(32.4
%)
Much
more
45(31.
0%)
27(18.
6%)
12(8.3
%)
22(15.
2%)
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
JGNAHS
33 J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health Sci January - June 2025
Yes No
Are you aware of where the plan
may be found?
79(54.5%) 65(44.8%)
Disaster is a mismatch between
event-driven needs and resources that
can be met
94(64.8%) 51(35.2%)
Natural or man-made disaster or both
possible?
118(81.4%) 27(18.6%)
His or her city can experience a
disaster one day.
88(60.7%) 57(39.3%)
A disaster might one day harm your
college.
74(51.0%) 71(49.0%)
Planning of disaster is the process of
repairing catastrophes by
determining what would need to be
done and how it should be done.
98(67.6%) 47(32.4%)
It is important to identify & address
the nearby threats that could most
likely result and disaster for his or
her college or community
103(71.0%) 42(29.0%)
Do you know what to do when there
is an earthquake?
104(71.7%) 41(28.3%)
Do you know where the safest place
to be when a flood
93(64.1%) 52(35.9%)
Personnel from the city’s health and
non-health professions are involved
in disaster management
102(70.3%) 43(29.7%)
Do you know what drills are? 75(51.7%) 70(48.3%)
Do student members understand their
functions during a drill?
77(53.1%) 68(46.9%)
Table 3:Close-Ended Survey Responses on Disaster
Management Awareness among Undergraduate
Nursing Students
Table 4: Attitude of Nursing Students about Disaster
Management
Table 5: Nursing Students’ Practice Regarding Disaster
Management
N (%) Yes N (%) No
Are nursing students actively involved
in disaster response teams or
committees within the college?
107(73.8%) 38(26.2
%)
Have nursing students participated in
any previous disaster drills or
simulations conducted by the college?
71(49.0%) 74(51.0
%)
Is the disaster plan periodically
updated?
76(52.4%) 69(47.6
%)
Have you received training on how to
respond to different types of disasters,
such as earthquakes, floods, or fires?
79(54.5%) 66(45.5
%)
Are you familiar with the specific roles
and responsibilities assigned to nursing
students during disaster response
activities?
87(60.4%) 57(39.6
%)
Do you feel confident in your ability to
assist in evacuating patients or
colleagues during an emergency
evacuation?
101(69.7% 44(30.3
%)
DISCUSSION
Global disasters are becoming more common,
impacting human life and health. The World Health
Organization has demanded that nations develop
comprehensive policies at every level to be ready for
potential crises. In both pre-hospital and hospital
settings, nurses are frontline workers in stable times,
but they are especially important in times of crisis and
emergency.16Assumed their crucial role in disaster
relief, nurses should be well-prepared and
knowledgeable about how to respond to crises to lessen
their detrimental effects on the impacted people as they
occur more frequently worldwide.17 Another researcher
Basyah, N. Highlights the essential right thoughts and
fair sharing of relief funds in public health disasters.
Crises need direct care for affected people, raising
ethical queries about the equitable supply of relief
resources.18 To implement the best performance during
the disaster management series, experts are essential to
be innovative and learn from practical, real-time
experiences.19 Consequently, the present study aimed
to investigate nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and
practice of undergraduate nursing students towards
disaster management. To the best of our knowledge,
this is the first study conducted that focuses on the
knowledge, attitude, and practice of students towards
disaster management at Mardan. The study findings
indicated that they had enough knowledge about
disaster management and about 35.2% of them had
heard more about the disaster management concept
while 31% had heard much more about the concept. In
addition to this 42.8% are well aware of disaster
management planning. This finding matches with who
explored that more than two-thirds of the participants
had adequate knowledge about disaster management.15
Agree Strongly
agree
Disagr
ee
Uns
ure
I do not require
information on disaster
planning preparedness
37(25.
5%)
14(9.7%
)
92(63.4
%)
2(1.
4%)
The college
administration should be
adequately prepared for
disasters
65(44.
8%)
60(41.4
%)
17(11.7
%)
3(2.
1%)
Disaster planning is for a
few personnel in the
college
36(24.
8%)
20(13.8
%)
32(56.6
%)
7(4.
8%)
Potential disaster–causing
risks should be
recognized and mitigated.
61(42.
1%)
64(44.1
%)
15(10.3
%)
5(3.
4%)
Training is necessary for
all college personnel.
51(35.
2%)
84(57.9
%)
7(4.8%
)
3(2.
1%)
Is it necessary to have a
disaster plan?
54(37.
2%)
84(57.2
%)
6(4.1%
)
2(1.
4%)
Disaster preparations
must be revised frequently.
56(38.
6%)
68(46.9
%)
12(8.3
%)
9(6.
2%)
The likelihood of
disasters occurring at our
college is low
56(38.
6%)
29(20.0
%)
41(28.3
%)
19(1
3.1
%)
Only nursing staff and
physicians need disaster
management.
29(20.
0%)
31(21.4
%)
82(56.6
%)
3(2.
1%)
The college should hold
frequent disaster
simulation exercises.
60(41.
4%)
60(41.4
%)
17(11.7
%)
8(5.
5%)
Drills should be
conducted in the college.
66(45.
5%)
51(35.2
%)
19(13.1
%)
9(6.
2%)
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
33 J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health Sci January - June 2025
Yes No
Are you aware of where the plan
may be found?
79(54.5%) 65(44.8%)
Disaster is a mismatch between
event-driven needs and resources that
can be met
94(64.8%) 51(35.2%)
Natural or man-made disaster or both
possible?
118(81.4%) 27(18.6%)
His or her city can experience a
disaster one day.
88(60.7%) 57(39.3%)
A disaster might one day harm your
college.
74(51.0%) 71(49.0%)
Planning of disaster is the process of
repairing catastrophes by
determining what would need to be
done and how it should be done.
98(67.6%) 47(32.4%)
It is important to identify & address
the nearby threats that could most
likely result and disaster for his or
her college or community
103(71.0%) 42(29.0%)
Do you know what to do when there
is an earthquake?
104(71.7%) 41(28.3%)
Do you know where the safest place
to be when a flood
93(64.1%) 52(35.9%)
Personnel from the city’s health and
non-health professions are involved
in disaster management
102(70.3%) 43(29.7%)
Do you know what drills are? 75(51.7%) 70(48.3%)
Do student members understand their
functions during a drill?
77(53.1%) 68(46.9%)
Table 3:Close-Ended Survey Responses on Disaster
Management Awareness among Undergraduate
Nursing Students
Table 4: Attitude of Nursing Students about Disaster
Management
Table 5: Nursing Students’ Practice Regarding Disaster
Management
N (%) Yes N (%) No
Are nursing students actively involved
in disaster response teams or
committees within the college?
107(73.8%) 38(26.2
%)
Have nursing students participated in
any previous disaster drills or
simulations conducted by the college?
71(49.0%) 74(51.0
%)
Is the disaster plan periodically
updated?
76(52.4%) 69(47.6
%)
Have you received training on how to
respond to different types of disasters,
such as earthquakes, floods, or fires?
79(54.5%) 66(45.5
%)
Are you familiar with the specific roles
and responsibilities assigned to nursing
students during disaster response
activities?
87(60.4%) 57(39.6
%)
Do you feel confident in your ability to
assist in evacuating patients or
colleagues during an emergency
evacuation?
101(69.7% 44(30.3
%)
DISCUSSION
Global disasters are becoming more common,
impacting human life and health. The World Health
Organization has demanded that nations develop
comprehensive policies at every level to be ready for
potential crises. In both pre-hospital and hospital
settings, nurses are frontline workers in stable times,
but they are especially important in times of crisis and
emergency.16Assumed their crucial role in disaster
relief, nurses should be well-prepared and
knowledgeable about how to respond to crises to lessen
their detrimental effects on the impacted people as they
occur more frequently worldwide.17 Another researcher
Basyah, N. Highlights the essential right thoughts and
fair sharing of relief funds in public health disasters.
Crises need direct care for affected people, raising
ethical queries about the equitable supply of relief
resources.18 To implement the best performance during
the disaster management series, experts are essential to
be innovative and learn from practical, real-time
experiences.19 Consequently, the present study aimed
to investigate nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and
practice of undergraduate nursing students towards
disaster management. To the best of our knowledge,
this is the first study conducted that focuses on the
knowledge, attitude, and practice of students towards
disaster management at Mardan. The study findings
indicated that they had enough knowledge about
disaster management and about 35.2% of them had
heard more about the disaster management concept
while 31% had heard much more about the concept. In
addition to this 42.8% are well aware of disaster
management planning. This finding matches with who
explored that more than two-thirds of the participants
had adequate knowledge about disaster management.15
Agree Strongly
agree
Disagr
ee
Uns
ure
I do not require
information on disaster
planning preparedness
37(25.
5%)
14(9.7%
)
92(63.4
%)
2(1.
4%)
The college
administration should be
adequately prepared for
disasters
65(44.
8%)
60(41.4
%)
17(11.7
%)
3(2.
1%)
Disaster planning is for a
few personnel in the
college
36(24.
8%)
20(13.8
%)
32(56.6
%)
7(4.
8%)
Potential disaster–causing
risks should be
recognized and mitigated.
61(42.
1%)
64(44.1
%)
15(10.3
%)
5(3.
4%)
Training is necessary for
all college personnel.
51(35.
2%)
84(57.9
%)
7(4.8%
)
3(2.
1%)
Is it necessary to have a
disaster plan?
54(37.
2%)
84(57.2
%)
6(4.1%
)
2(1.
4%)
Disaster preparations
must be revised frequently.
56(38.
6%)
68(46.9
%)
12(8.3
%)
9(6.
2%)
The likelihood of
disasters occurring at our
college is low
56(38.
6%)
29(20.0
%)
41(28.3
%)
19(1
3.1
%)
Only nursing staff and
physicians need disaster
management.
29(20.
0%)
31(21.4
%)
82(56.6
%)
3(2.
1%)
The college should hold
frequent disaster
simulation exercises.
60(41.
4%)
60(41.4
%)
17(11.7
%)
8(5.
5%)
Drills should be
conducted in the college.
66(45.
5%)
51(35.2
%)
19(13.1
%)
9(6.
2%)
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
JGNAHS
34J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health SciJanuary - June 2025
Concerning the overall attitude towards disaster
management among nurses, it is stated that over two-
thirds of the nurses surveyed exhibited a negative
attitude towards disaster management. Furthermore,
more than one-third of them demonstrated a positive
attitude towards disaster management.16 Whereas
assessing the attitude of the undergraduate Nursing
Students at Mardan about Disaster management this
study finding shows that 56.6% of the students think
that disaster management is not just for a few persons
but we all have to take part in it while 41.1% of the
participants strongly agreed that the college
administration should be prepared for any sort of
disaster. 83.3% of the participants still believe that they
should be provided with more knowledge about
disaster management. More than half of the
participants believe that everyone should have a plan to
deal with any sort of disaster and should take adequate
training which would help them in disaster
management. According to a study the participants
demonstrated a lack of adequate practices when it
comes to emergency and disaster management.2 They
were unaware of the various types of drills, there was a
lack of continuous training, the disaster plan was not
updated regularly, and their approaches to disaster
management were inadequate. According to the present
study findings about undergraduate Nursing Students’
Practice regarding Disaster management, 73.3% of the
participants voted Yes when they were asked about
the involvement of students in disaster response teams.
Half of the students agreed on the update of the disaster
plan periodically. While 51% of the students denied
attending previous disaster drills conducted in the
college. More than 60% of the students are aware of
different roles that are performed by the staff and about
70% of the students were confident in accessing the
victims during emergency evacuation.
LIMITATIONS
The limitations were mainly methodological such as
descriptive nature of the study, cross sectional data
collection and non-probability convenient sampling.
CONCLUSIONS
The study reveals that most undergraduate nursing
students at Mardan Medical Complex have sufficient
knowledge and a positive attitude toward disaster
preparedness. However, many lack confidence and
adequate training, which hinders their ability to act
during emergencies. A supportive college environment
is crucial for enhancing their readiness.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None
FUNDING SOURCES: None
REFERENCES
1. Vaughan C. Disaster preparedness of professional nurses in a
central urban public sector tertiary hospital in Johannesburg
2019.
2. Shabbir R, Afzal M, Sarwer H, Gilani S, Waqas A. Nurses
knowledge and practices regarding disasters management and
emergency preparedness. Saudi J Med Pharm Sci. 2017;3:464-
76.
3. Chegini Z, Arab-Zozani M, Kakemam E, Lotfi M, Nobakht A,
Aziz Karkan H. Disaster preparedness and core competencies
among emergency nurses: A cross-sectional study. Nurs Open.
2022;9(2):1294-302.
4. Tabish S, Syed N. Disaster preparedness: current trends and
future directions. Int J Sci Res. 2015;4(6):227-52.
5. Aurelio HSG, Bautista BJC, Casimiro RM, Dichoso NKR,
Endaya RA, Ignacio SKV, et al. Knowledge, Attitude, and
Practices of Nursing Students on Disaster Preparedness.
Proceedings Series on Health & Medical Sciences.
2022;2:13-20.
6. Peng Y, Pei C, Zheng Y, Wang J, Zhang K, Zheng Z, et al. A
cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitude and practice
associated with COVID-19 among undergraduate students in
China. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):1292-.
7. Ibrahim FAA. Nurses knowledge, attitudes, practices and
familiarity regarding disaster and emergency preparedness–
Saudi Arabia. American Journal of Nursing Science.
2014;3(2):18-25.
8. Younis NM, Ahmed MM, Hussein AA. Nurses’ knowledge,
attitude and practice towards preparedness of disaster
management in emergency of mosul teaching hospitals.
Medico-Legal Update. 2020;20(3):775-9.
9. Kamanyire JK, Wesonga R, Achora S, Labrague LL, Malik A,
Alshaqsi S, et al. Nursing students’ perceived disaster
preparedness and response: pilot study in Oman. Sultan Qaboos
Univ Med J. 2021;21(4):621.
10. Hasan MK, Fahmi A, Jisa TJ, Rokib RH, Borna JY, Fardusi J,
et al. Predictors of Bangladeshi registered nurses' disaster
management knowledge, skills, and preparedness. Progress in
Disaster Science. 2024;22:100324.
11. Hung MSY, Lam SKK, Chow MCM, Ng WWM, Pau OK. The
Effectiveness of Disaster Education for Undergraduate Nursing
Students' Knowledge, Willingness, and Perceived Ability: An
Evaluation Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health.
2021;18(19):10545.
12. Al-Zahrani A, Mohamed MB, Ahmed MIO, Alonaizi NDN,
Qudsei ZMB, Hawsawi AM. Nurses Perception, Attitude and
Practices Regarding Disasters Management and Emergency
Preparedness at Sabia General Hospital Saudia Arabia 2017.
2021.
13. Ghouri A, Raja, Badil. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice
Regarding Disaster Preparedness among Undergraduate
Nursing Students. Journal of Shalamar Medical & Dental
College - JSHMDC. 2023;4(2):111-6.
14. Mirzaei S, Eftekhari A, Sadeghian Mr, Kazemi S, Nadjarzadeh
A. The Effect of Disaster Management Training Program on
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Hospital Staffs in Natural
Disasters. Journal of Disaster and Emergency Research. 2019.
15. Mohamed NA, Abdel-Aziz HR, Elsehrawy MG. Nursing
Students' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Disaster
Preparedness: A Cross-Sectional Study. Risk Manag Healthc
Policy. 2023;16:2427-37.
16. Hussein Abuzied M. Awareness of Nursing Staff Regarding
Disaster preparedness in the Emergency Department. Helwan
International Journal for Nursing Research and Practice.
2024;3(5):16-32.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
34J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health SciJanuary - June 2025
Concerning the overall attitude towards disaster
management among nurses, it is stated that over two-
thirds of the nurses surveyed exhibited a negative
attitude towards disaster management. Furthermore,
more than one-third of them demonstrated a positive
attitude towards disaster management.16 Whereas
assessing the attitude of the undergraduate Nursing
Students at Mardan about Disaster management this
study finding shows that 56.6% of the students think
that disaster management is not just for a few persons
but we all have to take part in it while 41.1% of the
participants strongly agreed that the college
administration should be prepared for any sort of
disaster. 83.3% of the participants still believe that they
should be provided with more knowledge about
disaster management. More than half of the
participants believe that everyone should have a plan to
deal with any sort of disaster and should take adequate
training which would help them in disaster
management. According to a study the participants
demonstrated a lack of adequate practices when it
comes to emergency and disaster management.2 They
were unaware of the various types of drills, there was a
lack of continuous training, the disaster plan was not
updated regularly, and their approaches to disaster
management were inadequate. According to the present
study findings about undergraduate Nursing Students’
Practice regarding Disaster management, 73.3% of the
participants voted Yes when they were asked about
the involvement of students in disaster response teams.
Half of the students agreed on the update of the disaster
plan periodically. While 51% of the students denied
attending previous disaster drills conducted in the
college. More than 60% of the students are aware of
different roles that are performed by the staff and about
70% of the students were confident in accessing the
victims during emergency evacuation.
LIMITATIONS
The limitations were mainly methodological such as
descriptive nature of the study, cross sectional data
collection and non-probability convenient sampling.
CONCLUSIONS
The study reveals that most undergraduate nursing
students at Mardan Medical Complex have sufficient
knowledge and a positive attitude toward disaster
preparedness. However, many lack confidence and
adequate training, which hinders their ability to act
during emergencies. A supportive college environment
is crucial for enhancing their readiness.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None
FUNDING SOURCES: None
REFERENCES
1. Vaughan C. Disaster preparedness of professional nurses in a
central urban public sector tertiary hospital in Johannesburg
2019.
2. Shabbir R, Afzal M, Sarwer H, Gilani S, Waqas A. Nurses
knowledge and practices regarding disasters management and
emergency preparedness. Saudi J Med Pharm Sci. 2017;3:464-
76.
3. Chegini Z, Arab-Zozani M, Kakemam E, Lotfi M, Nobakht A,
Aziz Karkan H. Disaster preparedness and core competencies
among emergency nurses: A cross-sectional study. Nurs Open.
2022;9(2):1294-302.
4. Tabish S, Syed N. Disaster preparedness: current trends and
future directions. Int J Sci Res. 2015;4(6):227-52.
5. Aurelio HSG, Bautista BJC, Casimiro RM, Dichoso NKR,
Endaya RA, Ignacio SKV, et al. Knowledge, Attitude, and
Practices of Nursing Students on Disaster Preparedness.
Proceedings Series on Health & Medical Sciences.
2022;2:13-20.
6. Peng Y, Pei C, Zheng Y, Wang J, Zhang K, Zheng Z, et al. A
cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitude and practice
associated with COVID-19 among undergraduate students in
China. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):1292-.
7. Ibrahim FAA. Nurses knowledge, attitudes, practices and
familiarity regarding disaster and emergency preparedness–
Saudi Arabia. American Journal of Nursing Science.
2014;3(2):18-25.
8. Younis NM, Ahmed MM, Hussein AA. Nurses’ knowledge,
attitude and practice towards preparedness of disaster
management in emergency of mosul teaching hospitals.
Medico-Legal Update. 2020;20(3):775-9.
9. Kamanyire JK, Wesonga R, Achora S, Labrague LL, Malik A,
Alshaqsi S, et al. Nursing students’ perceived disaster
preparedness and response: pilot study in Oman. Sultan Qaboos
Univ Med J. 2021;21(4):621.
10. Hasan MK, Fahmi A, Jisa TJ, Rokib RH, Borna JY, Fardusi J,
et al. Predictors of Bangladeshi registered nurses' disaster
management knowledge, skills, and preparedness. Progress in
Disaster Science. 2024;22:100324.
11. Hung MSY, Lam SKK, Chow MCM, Ng WWM, Pau OK. The
Effectiveness of Disaster Education for Undergraduate Nursing
Students' Knowledge, Willingness, and Perceived Ability: An
Evaluation Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health.
2021;18(19):10545.
12. Al-Zahrani A, Mohamed MB, Ahmed MIO, Alonaizi NDN,
Qudsei ZMB, Hawsawi AM. Nurses Perception, Attitude and
Practices Regarding Disasters Management and Emergency
Preparedness at Sabia General Hospital Saudia Arabia 2017.
2021.
13. Ghouri A, Raja, Badil. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice
Regarding Disaster Preparedness among Undergraduate
Nursing Students. Journal of Shalamar Medical & Dental
College - JSHMDC. 2023;4(2):111-6.
14. Mirzaei S, Eftekhari A, Sadeghian Mr, Kazemi S, Nadjarzadeh
A. The Effect of Disaster Management Training Program on
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Hospital Staffs in Natural
Disasters. Journal of Disaster and Emergency Research. 2019.
15. Mohamed NA, Abdel-Aziz HR, Elsehrawy MG. Nursing
Students' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Disaster
Preparedness: A Cross-Sectional Study. Risk Manag Healthc
Policy. 2023;16:2427-37.
16. Hussein Abuzied M. Awareness of Nursing Staff Regarding
Disaster preparedness in the Emergency Department. Helwan
International Journal for Nursing Research and Practice.
2024;3(5):16-32.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
17. Basyah NA, Syukri M, Fahmi I, Ali I, Rusli Z, Putri ES.
Disaster Prevention and Management: A Critical Review of
The Literature. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA.
2023;9(11):1045-51.
18. Oktari RS, Munadi K, Idroes R, Sofyan H. Knowledge
management practices in disaster management: Systematic
review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
2020;51:101881.
CONTRIBUTORS
1. Shaista - Concept & Design; Drafting Manuscript;
Critical Revision; Supervision; Final Approval
2. Absheen Rahman - Concept & Design
3. Muhammad Allahyar Khan - Data Acquisition
4. Asif Mahmood - Data Analysis/Interpretation
5. Syed Babar Ali - Supervision
6. Iqra Ali - Data Acquisition
7. Zuhra Shakir - Concept & Design
.
JGNAHS
35 J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health Sci January - June 2025
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
LICENSE: JGMDS publishes its articles under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0).
COPYRIGHTS: Authors retain the rights without any restrictions to freely download, print, share and disseminate the article for any lawful purpose.
It includes scholarlynetworks such as Research Gate, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, Academia.edu, Twitter, and other academic or professional networking sites.
Disaster Prevention and Management: A Critical Review of
The Literature. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA.
2023;9(11):1045-51.
18. Oktari RS, Munadi K, Idroes R, Sofyan H. Knowledge
management practices in disaster management: Systematic
review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
2020;51:101881.
CONTRIBUTORS
1. Shaista - Concept & Design; Drafting Manuscript;
Critical Revision; Supervision; Final Approval
2. Absheen Rahman - Concept & Design
3. Muhammad Allahyar Khan - Data Acquisition
4. Asif Mahmood - Data Analysis/Interpretation
5. Syed Babar Ali - Supervision
6. Iqra Ali - Data Acquisition
7. Zuhra Shakir - Concept & Design
.
JGNAHS
35 J Gandhara Nurs Alli Health Sci January - June 2025
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Undergraduate Nursing Students
LICENSE: JGMDS publishes its articles under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0).
COPYRIGHTS: Authors retain the rights without any restrictions to freely download, print, share and disseminate the article for any lawful purpose.
It includes scholarlynetworks such as Research Gate, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, Academia.edu, Twitter, and other academic or professional networking sites.