Ranse J, Arbon P, Cusack L, Shaban R. (2017) Australian civilian hospital nurses' lived experience of the out-of-hospital environment following a disaster: A lived-space perspective; paper presented at the 17th WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Toronto, Canada 25th April.

1. Australian civilian hospital nurses' lived experience of the
out-of-hospital environment following a disaster: A lived-space perspective
Jamie Ranse
Supervisors: Prof. Paul Arbon, A/Prof.
Lynette Cusack and Prof. Ramon Shaban
www.jamieranse.com
twitter.com/jamieranse
youtube.com/jamieranse
linkedin.com/in/jamieranse

2. acknowledgements
• : Annie M Sage Memorial Scholarship
• Supervisors
• Participants
jamieranse

3. background
• Single events
• Simple descriptive case reports
• Phenomenological perspective lacking
Research question:
• What may it be like being an Australian civilian in-hospital nurse working in the
out-of-hospital disaster environment being deployed as part of a health team?
jamieranse

4. methodology
• Design
• Phenomenology
• Doing phenomenology
• Individual who’ve had experience(s)
• Narrative
• Moments
• Lived experience description
• Epoche-Reduction
jamieranse

5. findingsMoments
On the way to the disaster
Prior to starting work
Working the shift in a disaster
End of the shift
Returning home
jamieranse

6. findingsMoments
On the way to the disaster
Prior to starting work
Working the shift in a disaster
End of the shift
Returning home
Reflections
Spatiality(lived-space)
Corporeality(lived-body)
Communality(lived-relationships)
Temporality(lived-time)
jamieranse

7. findings
• Spatiality (lived-space)
jamieranse
Zillman, 2016, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News Online

8. findings
• Lived-space as shrinking then opening too-wide
• Intentionality, drawing-in and shrinking
In preparing to go to the disaster I started to read about the country, the
culture, religion, and the existing health infrastructure. I tried to get a general
overview of the countries socio-economic-health status prior to the disaster
occurring.
I asked others who had been to a previous disaster, “what did you take?” …
“what do you think it will be like? What do you think we will see?”
jamieranse

9. findings
• Lived-space as shrinking then opening too-wide
• Intentionality, drawing-in and shrinking
• Drawn-in, looking-out
The temporary health service was established on a local sports field … The
final temporary health facility was a combination of a number of individual
tents. These tents combined provided a space to provide a variety of health
services.
At the end of the shift I would call home. I had access to a communal
phone. However, I was restricted in the amount of time I could phone home.
jamieranse

10. findings
• Lived-space as shrinking then opening too-wide
• Intentionality, drawing-in and shrinking
• Drawn-in, looking-out
• Wide-open, crowded
I walked into the supermarket and there was a large variety of food on the
shelves. The options were extensive.
Colleagues, friends and family wanted to hear about my experience. After a
while, I needed periods of time alone
jamieranse

11. findings
• Lived-space as shrinking then opening too-wide
• Disaster health lived-space as occupying, sharing and giving back
• Occupying
During the immediate aftermath of the disaster, normal health clinics were not
open to receive patients.
The local pharmacies and general practitioners were closed longer than
anticipated. So people could not access their prescription medications via
their normal means.
jamieranse

12. findings
• Lived-space as shrinking then opening too-wide
• Disaster health lived-space as occupying, sharing and giving back
• Occupying
• Sharing
Local health care professionals from the closed health clinics assisted us
throughout the deployment. I remember working with a local community
health nurses, a maternal child health nurse and some local general
practitioners. These health professionals had knowledge of the area and
links to community health services.
jamieranse

13. findings
• Lived-space as shrinking then opening too-wide
• Disaster health lived-space as occupying, sharing and giving back
• Occupying
• Sharing
• Giving back
As the local health services were re-established, we started to handover our
services to the local health care professionals as a strategy to withdraw our
services from the region.
jamieranse

14. discussion
• Seems easier to go to a disaster than it does to come home.
• A change to the physical space results in a change to the way the space is lived.
jamieranse

15. conclusion
• Provides insight into what it may be like being an Australian civilian in-hospital
nurse working in the out-of-hospital disaster environment being deployed as part
of a health team?
• Insight that can inform practice, policy, education
• A phenomenological perspective raising many questions about an experience
jamieranse

16. Australian civilian hospital nurses' lived experience of the
out-of-hospital environment following a disaster: A lived-space perspective
Jamie Ranse
Supervisors: Prof. Paul Arbon, A/Prof.
Lynette Cusack and Prof. Ramon Shaban
www.jamieranse.com
twitter.com/jamieranse
youtube.com/jamieranse
linkedin.com/in/jamieranse