Grief during and in the aftermath of disaster: A culturally informed and nurse-led approach

Abstract

Grief is a universal yet individualised experience that has or will affect everyone at some point in a lifetime. However, the increasing frequency and severity of both natural and man-made disasters have resulted in prolonged or inadequately managed grief, associated with a secondary public health mental health crisis. After over thirty years of combined experience in nursing, emergency response, disaster management and healthcare education across diverse global context the authors seek to answer the question: How can we ensure that the next generation of emergency and disaster healthcare professionals are not only clinically skilled, but are equally if not more importantly capable of delivering culturally competent and safe care to the bereaved during the chaos of disasters? We posit that effective disaster response needs to move beyond the reliance on technical skills alone, and advocate for the integration of the soft skills of cultural competency (cultural humility, cultural grace, cultural reflexivity), empathy and adaptability that transcends geography, racial boundaries and culture. Nurses, mostly present throughout every stage of a disaster response, are uniquely positioned to advocate for and advance culturally appropriate care to the bereaved during disasters. By so doing, nurses can ensure that individuals and communities feel culturally safe to grieve amidst the challenges and chaos of disasters.