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Database of Health Workforce Innovations

645
ID
645
Mental health nurses and disaster response in Sierra Leone
Created
2020-08-26 15:43:55
Created by
Ali Coates
Updated by
Ali Coates
Update time
2020-08-26 15:43:55
Providing emergency mental-health care to disaster victims with only 20 mental health nurses
Who- 20 mental health nurses, trained in Psychological First Aid (PFA)
What- Their experience allowed them to deploy immediately to deliver PFA to affected individuals, whereas other responders first required refresher training. Within 1 week after the mudslide, the nurses delivered over 1000 interventions to affected individuals. They also led in-depth PFA sessions with mortuary staff, ambulance workers, and burial teams because these workers were deemed potentially susceptible to development of psychological sequelae.
  • New roles
  • Mental Health Workers
  • Nurse Specialists*
Post mudslide/ flooding disaster response in Sierra Leone
  • Critical Care
  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Remote
The previous PFA training the mental health nurses had which allowed them to quickly mobilize and treat a wide range of impacted people with complex needs
Estimates have placed the mental health treatment gap in Sierra Leone at 99·5%.5 The multisectoral and media engagement with psychological needs will hopefully contribute to normalising the concept of mental health in Sierra Leone, where stigma remains
Research Intervention - outcome data available
Harris, D., Wurie, A., Baingana, F., Sevalie, S., & Beynon, F. (2018). Mental health nurses and disaster response in Sierra Leone. The Lancet Global Health, 6(2), e146–e147.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(17)30492-8
Dawn Harris
USAID
Africa
Sierra Leone
English
Published Literature

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