Current Disaster Medicine Education Among Emergency Medical Staff Survey Study

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Current Disaster Medicine Education among Emergency Medical StaffSurvey Study Dr. Hany Ebeid, MD, M.Sc., EMDMEmergency Medicine Physician, Saudi AramcoMedical Services Organization, Saudi Arabia. Prof. M. Debacker, MDResearch Group on Disaster Medicine,Free University Brussels, Belgium.DisclaimerThe author hereby declares that none of the data used in preparation of this manuscript was obtained from Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization, Saudi Aramco.The wide range of disaster threats, whether natural or man-made chemical, biological, or nuclear incidents, either at war or as a result of terror, dictate continuous acquisition of new knowledge and skills.Inadequate education and preparation would inevitably result in the development of damaging effects on human lives and health.Governments and communities expect medical services to be well prepared to deal with all levels and types of medical disasters.As emergency healthcare providers, we treat emergencies on a regular basis, thus keeping our skills in these areas up to date. Disasters on the other hand do not occur on a regular basis, making continuing education and training in the field of DM even more important.To achieve adequate education among emergency medical (EM) staff, we need, first, to evaluate their current education and training in DM. This would help tailor education and training to meet the ultimate goals of disaster preparedness.Study ObjectivesTo find out the frequency and type of current education and training in DM among EM staff (physicians, nurses and paramedics).To evaluate if there are differences in the current level of DM education regarding various emergency medical jobs category groups.Materials and MethodsThe study was conducted as an internationally based cross-sectional survey study. A survey questionnaire was prepared and uploaded on the web on November 2007.A total of 673 invitational e-mails were sent across the globe for addressees to complete the survey as well as forwarding it to their emergency department (ED) staff. The questionnaire was completed by 392 candidates; 161 EM physicians (41.1%), 72 EM nurses (18.4%), 97 EMT/Paramedics (24.7%), 50 other physicians (12.7%) and 12 other job categories (3.1%).The other physicians group included non-EM physicians working in or in close collaboration with the ED (e.g., ICU/ anesthesiologists, trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, radiologists).The others group included other jobs who work in or in close collaboration with the ED (e.g., DM researchers and educators, administrators, supportive services, respiratory therapists, and non-EM [ICU] nurses).Study ResultsAttending Lectures in DMFrequency of Attending Lectures in DM351 of respondents attended lectures in DM, while 36 never had.Percentage of Attending Lectures in DM90.7% of respondents attended DM lectures, but only 50.7% of them did that in past 6 months. 9.3% never had.No significant differences between job groups (P Value 0.304).Attending Courses/Training in DMFrequency of Attending Courses/Training in DM322 of respondents attended courses/training in DM, while 67 never had.Percentage of Attending Courses/Training in DM82.8% of total respondents attended DM courses/training, but only 41.9% of them did that in past 6 months. 17.2% never had.No significant differences between job groups ( P Value 0.318).Attending Courses/Training in DM under Emergency Department (ED)Only 39% of total respondents who had training in DM, had it under Emergency Department (ED). Other Agencies under which DM Courses/Training ConductedReading Articles or Books about DMFrequency of ReadingArticles or Books about DM366 of respondents read articles or books about DM, while 56 never had.Percentage of ReadingArticles or Books about DM85.7% of total respondents read articles or books about DM; 60.7% of them did that in past 6 months. 14.3% never had.No significant differences between job groups (P Value 0.274).Utilizing Internet Resources forDM EducationFrequency of Utilizing Internet Resources forDM Education291 of respondents utilized Internet resources, while 91 never had.Percentage of Utilizing Internet Resources forDM Education75.2% of total respondents utilized Internet resources for DM education; of them, 64.6% did that in past 6 months. 24.8% never had.There were significant differences between job groups (P Value 0.020) with physicians utilization more than nurses and EMT-Ps.Satisfaction with Current Knowledge&Currently Received Training in DMThe respondents were asked about their level of satisfaction with their current knowledge and training in DM.Percentage Satisfaction with CurrentKnowledge in DM43.1% of total respondents were satisfied with their current knowledge, 24.8% were neutral and 32.1% were not sa