Medical student disaster medicine education: the development of an educational resource

Abstract

BackgroundDisaster medicine education is an enormous challenge, but indispensable for disaster preparedness.AimsWe aimed to develop and implement a disaster medicine curriculum for medical student education that can serve as a peer-reviewed, structured educational guide and resource. Additionally, the process of designing, approving and implementing such a curriculum is presented.MethodsThe six-step approach to curriculum development for medical education was used as a formal process instrument. Recognized experts from professional and governmental bodies involved in disaster health care provided input using disaster-related physician training programs, scientific evidence if available, proposals for education by international disaster medicine organizations and their expertise as the basis for content development.ResultsThe final course consisted of 14 modules composed of 2-h units. The concepts of disaster medicine, including response, medical assistance, law, command, coordination, communication, and mass casualty management, are introduced. Hospital preparedness plans and experiences from worldwide disaster assistance are reviewed. Life-saving emergency and limited individual treatment under disaster conditions are discussed. Specifics of initial management of explosive, war-related, radiological/nuclear, chemical, and biological incidents emphasizing infectious diseases and terrorist attacks are presented. An evacuation exercise is completed, and a mass casualty triage is simulated in collaboration with local disaster response agencies. Decontamination procedures are demonstrated at a nuclear power plant or the local fire department, and personal decontamination practices are exercised. Mannequin resuscitation is practiced while personal protective equipment is utilized. An interactive review of professional ethics, stress disorders, psychosocial interventions, and quality improvement efforts complete the training.ConclusionsThe curriculum offers medical disaster education in a reasonable time frame, interdisciplinary format, and multi-experiential course. It can serve as a template for basic medical student disaster education. Because of its comprehensive but flexible structure, it should also be helpful for other health-care professional student disaster education programs.

A Course on "Health Management in Crises" for Medical Students: A Delphi Study

“…Pfenninger et al, at Johns Hopkins University, developed a similar course with 14 headlines using a six-step method. 11 The main similarity between the two studies lay in the headlines, which was due to the similarity in the nature of health management in crises. There were also some differences which may result from the differences that exist between crises and available resources in different communities.…”

“…10 Pfenninger et al, after a review of existing studies, indicated there were very few reported curricula and courses on health management in crises for medical students. 11 In order to enhance the knowledge and skills of medical students on how to understand the health-related issues in crises and to promote their ability to manage and deal with crises, such courses and curriculums for medical education are necessary. 10 This study was conducted at the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in Iran.…”

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“…A German study presents the experience of building an academic curriculum for medical care in disaster cases, showing that knowledge and skills development in practical exercises can serve as basic training for medical practice in all types of emergency situations, a factor that can directly influence improvements in care delivery to victims (36) .…”