Importance of Personal Protection Training of Nurses in Chemical Attacks

Reviewing history of wars especially recent wars shows that many countries have access to chemical, biological and nuclear warfare, hidden and openly and even international conventions could not prevent states from using such warfare. Iraq’s chemical war against Iran is a not very far dark page of human history that has made Iran the biggest victim of chemical war. Individual and collective protections are the first defensive step against pollution or chemical agents. This article highlights the necessity of personal protection among nurses as the first reactors to crisis.

This paper is a review article conducted by collecting data through library studies and searching databases such as Elsevier, Pro Quest, JAMA by keywords including «nurse», “personal protection» and «chemical attacks»in 2000-2013.

Chemical warfare may result in mass casualties among untrained and unprotected forces. The First World War proved that high rates of casualties occurred among those units not experienced in chemical wars. Protective mask provides full protection against gaseous chemical agents and soldiers or people not using their masks on a timely manner or those who have took off their masks earlier, were among victims of chemical attacks. In view of such mass casualties, need to careful planning and provision of necessary trainings for medical units must be taken into account. Through adequate planning and training, conditions of the injured are managed and rate of paralysis is reduced. Discussion and

Preparation of nurses as to detecting chemical attacks, self-protection and protecting colleagues and ability to teach personal protection to other personnel of the army, medical staff of other organs and the whole society have a role regarding crisis management. Enhancing performance of personal protection among nurses, reduces rates of casualties and waste of resources, and lowers levels of stress resulting from such attacks on society which sometimes is more severe than physical complications. Lowering stress increases decision making power, appropriate crisis management and provides for offering better services to casualties and accelerating return of society to a balanced condition.