Forensic Nursing competencies in disasters situations: scoping review.
Thiago Augusto Soares Monteiro da Silva, Débora Fernanda Haberland, Thais da Silva Kneodler and 3 others
PMID 37791871WHAT IT FOUND
Forensic nursing competencies in disasters are mapped across 28 publications, covering pre-incident, incident, and post-incident phases.
Key areas include risk diagnosis, evidence collection, and trauma care. However, the review found no studies defining specific competencies for this context.
Key findings
01The review identified 24 competencies for forensic nurses across disaster phases, including leadership, communication, and evidence collection.
02Most publications were from the USA and in English, with a significant portion published shortly after major disasters like September 11.
03The review could not find studies that defined which specific competencies are appropriate for forensic nurses in disaster situations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review could not access the full texts of some publications. Most evidence came from the USA and English-language sources, limiting global applicability. The literature is reactive, meaning it was produced after disasters occurred rather than proactively defining standards. No studies were found that specifically defined which competencies are appropriate for this context.
Declared interests
The study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the list of 24 competencies as evidence-based standards for practice. The review explicitly states that no studies were found that defined which competencies are appropriate for forensic nurses in disasters, and the identified competencies are mapped from existing literature rather than validated through rigorous methods.