Assessment of nurses' knowledge and preparedness for disaster management in long-term care hospitals: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

Background Disaster preparedness in long-term care (LTC) hospitals is critical, as these facilities house vulnerable populations with complex care needs. Objectives To assess disaster management knowledge and preparedness among nurses in an LTC hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to examine the influence of sociodemographic and professional characteristics. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study of 116 registered nurses in a 128-bed LTC hospital in Riyadh. Data were collected via self-administered paper-based questionnaires during December 2025 using the Arabic Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. Results 85.3% of nurses demonstrated high preparedness in Knowledge (mean = 4.86, SD = 0.65) and Preparedness/Skills (mean = 4.89, SD = 0.70); 89.7% scored high in Post-Disaster Management (mean = 4.91, SD = 0.64). Prior training significantly improved knowledge ( p = 0.014, r = −0.23) and preparedness ( p = 0.024, r = −0.21). Experience was associated with post-disaster management ( p = 0.013, η 2 = 0.070). Conclusions High disaster preparedness was demonstrated. Mandatory LTC-specific training programs are recommended.