COVID-19 has affected the life and health of more than 1 million people across the world. This overwhelms many countries’ healthcare systems, and, of course, affects healthcare providers such as nurses fighting on the frontlines to safeguard the lives of everyone affected. Exploring the issues that nurses face during their battle will help support them and develop protocols and plans to improve their preparedness. Thus, this integrative review will explore the issues facing nurses during their response to the COVID-19 crisis. The major issues facing nurses in this situation are the critical shortage of nurses, beds, and medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and, as reviews indicate, psychological changes and fears of infection among nursing staff. The implications of these findings might help to provide support and identify the needs of nurses in all affected countries to ensure that they can work and respond to this crisis with more confidence. Moreover, this will help enhance preparedness for pandemics and consider issues when drawing up crisis plans. The recommendation is to support the nurses, since they are a critical line of defense. Indeed, more research must be conducted in the field of pandemics regarding nursing.

To reduce the impact of disasters, healthcare providers, especially nurses, need to be prepared to respond immediately. However, nurses face several challenges in all phases of disaster management. The findings of a literature review based on scoping approaches, which utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, indicated that the major barriers facing nurses include the following: (1) disaster nursing is a new specialty; (2) inadequate level of preparedness; (3) poor formal education; (4) lack of research; (5) ethical and legal issues; and (6) issues related to nurses’ roles in disasters. Educators, researchers, and stakeholders need to make efforts to tackle these issues and improve disaster nursing.

Disaster nursing plays a vital role in addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations affected by large scale emergencies. However, disaster nursing faces numerous challenges, including preparedness, logistics, education, ethics, recovery and legalities. To enhance healthcare system effectiveness during crises, it is essential to overcome these issues. This umbrella review, conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, synthesizes data from 24 studies to identify key strategies for improving disaster nursing. The review highlights nine key themes: Education and Training, Research and Development, Policy and Organizational Support, Technological Advancements, Psychological Preparedness and Support, Assessment and Evaluation, Role-Specific Preparedness, Interprofessional Collaboration and Cultural Competence, and Ethics and Decision-Making. The review emphasizes the importance of education, technological advancements, psychological support, and interprofessional collaboration in bolstering disaster nursing preparedness and response efforts. These elements are crucial for enhancing patient outcomes during emergencies and contributing to a more resilient healthcare system. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the various aspects essential for enhancing disaster nursing. By implementing evidence-based strategies within these nine themes, the nursing profession can enhance its capacity to effectively manage and respond to the complex needs of disaster-affected populations, ultimately improving patient care and outcomes during emergencies.