Introduction: Disasters are increasing globally, in both frequency and severity. Rural and remote areas are disproportionately exposed to disasters, with unequal resources and a significantly reduced health workforce and infrastructure. Nurses play an important role in assisting with and responding to disasters; however, in rural and remote settings, there is limited literature describing nurses’ roles or experiences in these events. This study aimed to uncover what it is like for rural and remote nurses when assisting in disasters using a phenomenological approach. Methods: Sixteen nurses from rural or remote Australia were interviewed about their experiences assisting during a disaster. A phenomenological approach underpinned the study, with descriptive thematic analysis of the data uncovering moments of disaster. These moments provide a shared history across participants, disaster subtypes, and locations. Results: Eight moments were identified during the nurses’ experience assisting in a disaster. These moments consisted of a Prelude, Being notified, Making a decision, Preparing, Initial evaluation of the scene, Stepping into Action, Stepping down, and Lessons through reflection. Within each of the moments, rural and remote nurses tell us how events occurred, how the moments stood out in their singularity, and how they transitioned into another moment, highlighting the uniqueness of each activity and interaction within each moment. Conclusion: Rural and remote nurses played a significant role in assisting in disasters either in their community or at their place of work. This study highlighted the nuances of their work’s geographical location and the activities they are engaged in. It also shows the innate knowledge required of rural and remote nurses in disaster situations. This study provides an in-depth insight into what these nurses do and their experiences, which will help increase disaster awareness, particularly in rural and remote contexts.
Brewer et al. (Sun,) studied this question.