• Stanley K K Lam, Enid W Y Kwong, HungMaria S YMSYSchool of Nursing, Tung Wah College, Kowloon, Hong Kong., PangSamantha M CSMCSchool of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong., and Vico C L Chiang.
• School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
• J Clin Nurs. 2018 Apr 1; 27 (7-8): e1244-e1255.

Aims And ObjectivesTo explore the core components that constitute nurses' preparedness in an epidemic event.BackgroundHealthcare service providers have worked to augment efforts to protect the public from the impact of epidemic events. While constituting the major healthcare taskforce, nurses are frequently tasked with fronting the response to an infectious disease outbreak. Given the crucial role of nurses in the management of prevailing epidemics, the constituents of their preparedness in epidemic events should be identified.DesignA systematic search was undertaken to identify eligible studies from the literature. A narrative synthesis approach was employed to extract and synthesise findings of the reviewed qualitative studies.MethodsSeven qualitative studies on nurses' experience and perceptions of epidemic events were examined for scientific quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist. Findings of these studies were synthesised adopting a narrative synthesis approach.ResultsThree interplaying themes were identified as follows: (i) personal resources, (ii) workplace resources and (iii) situational influences. The findings suggest that an effective epidemic outbreak response would require further effort to reinforce the interplay between individual nurses, healthcare institutions and the governments.ConclusionsThe practical interplay among individual nurses, healthcare institutions and the governments is crucial in establishing an effective epidemic response. Further research on the understanding of the dynamic process of preparedness development is recommended to set future directions in research.Relevance To Clinical PracticeThis study offers important insights for devising future strategies in enhancing nurses' preparedness and response to an epidemic event. These include recommendations on providing education and training to nurses regarding infectious diseases, fostering institutional assistance and support in an outbreak and revising government policies and planning.© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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