Editorial
Disaster Medicine is a critical and often neglected component of health care, especially as the incidence of natural and human-induced disasters is increasing globally. 1 Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States cities of New York City and Washington, DC, there have been numerous proposals and attempts for the standardization and implementation of disaster response and mass-casualty education into health care training across many countries. 2–Reference Voicescu, Valente, Della Corte, Becerril, Ragazzoni and Caviglia4
Despite these efforts in the early 2000s, Disaster Medicine has not been incorporated into many national standards across health care professional training programs, nor has it yet been acknowledged as a foundational component of all health care roles. Reference Jasper, Berg and Reid5 The rigor of existing academic requirements and lack of resources have made incorporating Disaster Medicine into the formal curriculum challenging. Reference Jasper, Wanner, Berg and Berg6,Reference Kasselmann, Willy, Domres, Wunderlich and Back7 The majority of students and trainees who receive education related to Disaster Medicine do so as part of optional extracurricular activities that are driven by individual interests. Reference Voicescu, Valente, Della Corte, Becerril, Ragazzoni and Caviglia4,Reference Jasper, Berg and Reid5 As such, many practitioners enter professional careers with little exposure to Disaster Medicine.
The lack of preparedness among health care professionals is concerning because communities turn to their health care providers regularly for guidance, especially during public health emergencies. 2,Reference Markenson, Woolf, Redlener and Reilly8 Introducing Disaster Medicine concepts early in health care education will allow students and trainees to feel more comfortable implementing these practices when called upon as future leaders. Disaster Medicine education encompasses competencies including leadership, critical thinking, interprofessional collaboration, and communication skills that are necessary for the everyday practice of health care and will assist in developing well-rounded health care providers. Reference Markenson, Woolf, Redlener and Reilly8
As a result, the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM):
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Recognizes the need to improve the quality, quantity, and accessibility of Disaster Medicine education, which may be achieved with a dedicated curriculum at all levels of health care education.
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Urges for standardizing Disaster Medicine education across universities and health care training programs.
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Recommends that Disaster Medicine education be delivered in a multisession, multimodal format that includes didactic-, simulation-, and interprofessional-based endeavors.
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Suggests that universities and health care training programs incorporate faculty and community organizations well-versed in Disaster Medicine preparedness and response to improve existing Disaster Medicine curricula.
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Encourages medical education accrediting bodies, education advocacy organizations, and similar stakeholders to prioritize Disaster Medicine education within their initiatives and standards.
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Endorses that Disaster Medicine education activities should be continually evaluated and modified to align with the needs of the local and global communities.
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Acknowledges the need for further research to better understand Disaster Medicine education in non-physician health care roles.
Adopted by the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) Board of Directors on July 30, 2024.
Conflicts of interest/disclaimer
There are no conflicts of interest for the contributing authors to disclose. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of Quinnipiac University, New York-Presbyterian, Brooke Army Medical Center, the Department of Defense, or any agencies under the US Government.
