Evaluation of Disaster Medicine Knowledge Level and Educational Approaches of Future Health Professionals

Abstract

Aim:This study aimed to determine the disaster medicine knowledge levels and educational approaches on disaster medicine of prospective healthcare students who are important factors of disaster response.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with final year students from the nursing department, the Emergency Aid and Disaster Management (EADM) Department, and the Medical Faculty at Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University in Tekirdağ, Turkey. The data were collected through a face-to-face administered questionnaire.Results:Among the 159 study participants, 49% (n=78) of the participants had received disaster medicine education. The mean knowledge level of the EADM student group (78.96±10.56) was found to be higher than nurse (65.49±12.84) and medicine (72.33±10.56) student groups. Most of the students with high level of knowledge (n=56, 58.9%) participated in the disaster drill. Personal protective equipment (PPE) (n=30, 18.8%), decontamination (n=52, 32.7%) and triage (n=60, 37.7%) questions were respectively answered correctly with the lowest percentage. Students (n=82, 92.1%) who did not receive disaster medicine education stated that they wanted to receive disaster medicine education and most of students (n=115, 72.3%) preferred that disaster medicine courses be led by emergency medicine specialists.Conclusion:Disaster medicine classes that address some special subjects like the use of PPE and decontamination procedures and triage should be included in the basic curriculum of health professions, and students’ personal knowledge and competence perceptions on disaster medicine should be supported by reinforcing the learning outcomes with disaster drills.

Keywords

• disaster medicine
• education
• health profession students