Healthcare worker competencies for disaster training.
BACKGROUND
Although training and education have long been accepted as integral to disaster preparedness, many currently taught practices are neither evidence-based nor standardized. The need for effective evidence-based disaster training of healthcare staff at all levels, including the development of standards and guidelines for training in the multi-disciplinary health response to major events, has been designated by the disaster response community as a high priority. We describe the application of systematic evidence-based consensus building methods to derive educational competencies and objectives in criteria-based preparedness and response relevant to all hospital healthcare workers.


METHODS
The conceptual development of cross-cutting competencies incorporated current evidence through a systematic consensus building process with the following steps: (1) review of peer-reviewed literature on relevant content areas and educational theory; (2) structured review of existing competencies, national level courses and published training objectives; (3) synthesis of new cross-cutting competencies; (4) expert panel review; (5) refinement of new competencies and; (6) development of testable terminal objectives for each competency using similar processes covering requisite knowledge, attitudes, and skills.


RESULTS
Seven cross-cutting competencies were developed: (1) Recognize a potential critical event and implement initial actions; (2) Apply the principles of critical event management; (3) Demonstrate critical event safety principles; (4) Understand the institutional emergency operations plan; (5) Demonstrate effective critical event communications; (6) Understand the incident command system and your role in it; (7) Demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill your role during a critical event. For each of the cross-cutting competencies, comprehensive terminal objectives are described.


CONCLUSIONS
Cross-cutting competencies and objectives developed through a systematic evidence-based consensus building approach may serve as a foundation for future hospital healthcare worker training and education in disaster preparedness and response.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. edhsu@jhmi.edu
Edbert B
EB
Hsu
Tamara L
TL
Thomas
Eric B
EB
Bass
Dianne
D
Whyne
Gabor D
GD
Kelen
Gary B
GB
Green
D018672:Community Health Planning; D003162:Competency-Based Education; D032921:Consensus; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000592:standards*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000193:education*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education; D012308:Risk Management; D014218:Triage; D014481:United States