Evaluation of a Tabletop Emergency Preparedness Exercise for Pharmacy Students

Abstract

Objective. To describe the implementation and effect of an emergency preparedness laboratory activity on student knowledge, willingness to participate in emergency preparedness training, current level of preparedness, and the importance of a pharmacist's role in disaster response. Design. Second-year pharmacy students in the infectious disease module participated in a laboratory activity based on a basic disaster response tabletop exercise format. Three case-based scenarios involving infectious diseases were created by participating faculty members. Assessment. Surveys before and after the laboratory were used to assess the activity's effect on student knowledge, willingness to participate in emergency preparedness training, current level of preparedness, and the importance of a pharmacist's role in disaster response. In addition, the postsurvey assessed student perceptions of the activity's success at accomplishing faculty-specified outcomes from Appendix B of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's (ACPE) Standards. Conclusion. Implementation of an emergency response laboratory activity may improve overall students' knowledge of, confidence in, and understanding of their role as pharmacists in an emergency response, while incorporating a variety of skills and knowledge outcomes.Keywords: emergency preparedness, disaster response, education, tabletop exercise, lab INTRODUCTIONThere are numerous types of disasters, natural and human. Natural disasters are physical events that occur spontaneously in nature, and can be geophysical (earthquakes), hydrological (floods), meteorological (hurricanes), climatological (temperature extremes), or biological (viral epidemics).1,2 Human disasters are man-made events that include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive terrorism, arson, riots, armed conflicts, and infrastructure failures.1,2 Any of these disasters most likely will involve provision of health care as part of the greater disaster response effort. Health care professionals may have to address treating injuries directly related to the disaster, providing mental health counseling for survivors, maintaining or re-establishing control of chronic diseases, or preventing infectious diseases outbreaks. Considering the unpredictable nature of disasters, community health professionals should be prepared to respond to disaster events when they occur.Public health emergency preparedness is defined as "the capability of the public health and health care systems, communities, and individuals, to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from health emergencies, particularly those whose scale, timing, or unpredictability threatens to overwhelm routine capabilities."3 Acquiring this level of preparedness requires continuous preparation and execution of emergency response activities that examine performance and improve identified deficiencies. 3The 2014 Ebola outbreak demonstrated weaknesses in and the need for better public health emergency preparedness among health care workers. 4...

Pharmacy Emergency Preparedness and Response (PEPR): a proposed framework for expanding pharmacy professionals’ roles and contributions to emergency preparedness and response during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

“…DeGuire et al 40 Despite the fluctuations in emphasis on public health and EP&R training in the CAPE Outcomes and ACPE Standards, pharmacy educators have studied and reported on EP&R education and initiatives across the time period discussed. For example, PharmD students and pharmacists have been incorporated into emergency preparedness drills 52 , pharmacists' roles in assisting in emergency preparedness in long-term care facilities 53 , table-top exercises 54 , and in interprofessional education CPE/CE programs with public health professionals. 55 Other outcomes that can be assessed include the number of students, residents, fellows, and pharmacy professionals receiving awards/scholarships/grants for public health related projects, the number of public health projects conducted by pharmacy students, residents or fellows, and the number of these individuals who publish report, present posters or talks, or disseminate other forms of scholarship related to these projects.…”

Relationships between disaster nursing competence, anticipatory disaster stress and motivation for disaster engagement

“…The study found that even though hospitals held disaster courses and trainings every year, nurses had a worryingly low level of disaster competence, which correlated with their low motivation to participate in disaster rescue. Providing realistic disaster training using simulations, tabletop exercises [40,41], and virtual reality/augmented reality/mixed reality exercises may improve individuals' interests and understanding about disaster situations and disaster knowledge and skills. This would further increase nurses' confidence in disaster management.…”

Defining Roles for Pharmacy Personnel in Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness

“…- 31 Repeated training may also serve to reinforce and further encourage preparedness, thus enhancing the capacity for an effective response. Although highly structured, simulation-based training that involves many system players may be highly valued, smaller-scale learning activities involving tabletop simulations 32 and exercises targeting low-intensity, high-frequency events 33 are also likely to prove beneficial. Our work could also conceivably be adapted by community pharmacists, who do not operate as part of a broader organizational plan like their counterparts working in hospitals, 7 to initiate a limited form of training at the level of their individual pharmacy (eg, to simulate a power outage affecting their neighborhood for several hours).…”