The psychological impact of working in emergencies and the role of debriefing

It has been suggested that there are three major disasters each week worldw ide of such a magnitude that local services are overwhelmed. Nurses are frequently: involved; in assisting in emergencies. This paper reviews current:work; looking at the impact of working in emerge ncy settings and overseas humanitarian aid work. There is evidence that being at a disaster site or overseas humanitarian op eration can be psychologically; damaging. Strategies aimed at reducing this damage, such as debriefing, are poorly ev aluated but often carried out as an act of faith. This is an area that needs to: be addressed as nurses will increasingly be involved in this work.