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Disaster Curricula in Medical Education: Pilot Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2012

Jared Smith ,
Matthew J. Levy ,
Edbert B. Hsu  and
J. Lee Levy
Jared Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland USA
Matthew J. Levy
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland USA
Edbert B. Hsu
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland USA Center for Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland USA
J. Lee Levy*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland USA Center for Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland USA Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland USA
*
Correspondence: Jennifer Lee Levy, MD Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine 5801 Smith Ave., Suite 3220, Baltimore, Maryland 21209 USA E-mail [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction

An understanding of disaster medicine and the health care system during mass-casualty events is vital to a successful disaster response, and has been recommended as an integral part of the medical curriculum by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It has been documented that medical students do not believe that they have received adequate training for responding to disasters. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the inclusion of disaster medicine in the required course work of medical students at AAMC schools in the United States, and to identify the content areas addressed.

Methods

An electronic on-line survey was developed based upon published core competencies for health care workers, and distributed via e-mail to the education liaison for each medical school in the United States that was accredited by the AAMC. The survey included questions regarding the inclusion of disaster medicine in the medical school curricula, the type of instruction, and the content of instruction.

Results

Of the 29 (25.2%) medical schools that completed the survey, 31% incorporated disaster medicine into their medical school curricula. Of those schools that included disaster medicine in their curricula, 20.7% offered disaster material as required course work, and 17.2% offered it as elective course work. Disaster medicine topics provided at the highest frequency included pandemic influenza/severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS, 27.5%), and principles of triage (10.3%). The disaster health competency included most frequently was the ability to recognize a potential critical event and implement actions at eight (27.5%) of the responding schools.

Conclusions

Only a small percentage of US medical schools currently include disaster medicine in their core curriculum, and even fewer medical schools have incorporated or adopted competency-based training within their disaster medicine lecture topics and curricula.

> SmithJ , LevyMJ , HsuEB , LevyJL . Disaster Curricula in Medical Education: Pilot Survey. Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(5):1-3.

Keywords

competenciescurriculumdisaster educationmedical school
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 27 , Issue 5 , October 2012 , pp. 492 - 494
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2012

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