title: Disaster medicine and public health preparedness of health professions students: a multidisciplinary assessment of knowledge, confidence, and attitudes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed disaster medicine knowledge and competence and perceived self-efficacy and motivation for disaster response among medical, nursing, and dental students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey methodology was used to evaluate knowledge, comfort, perceived competency, and motivation. Also, a nonresponder survey was used to control for responder bias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 136 responses were received across all 3 schools. A nonresponder survey showed no statistical differences with regard to age, gender, previous presence at a disaster, and previous emergency response training. In spite of good performance on many knowledge items, respondent confidence was low in knowledge and in comfort to perform in disaster situations. Knowledge was strong in areas of infection control, decontamination, and biological and chemical terrorism but weak in areas of general emergency management, role of government agencies, and radiologic events. Variations in knowledge among the different health professions were slight, but overall the students believed that they required additional education. Finally, students were motivated not only to acquire more knowledge but to respond to disaster situations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care students must be adequately educated to assume roles in disasters that are a required part of their professions. This education also is necessary for further disaster medicine education in either postgraduate or occupational education. As students' performance on knowledge items was better than their perceived knowledge, it appears that a majority of this education can be achieved with the use of existing curricula, with minor modification, and the addition of a few focused subjects, which may be delivered through novel educational approaches.
authors.affiliation: Sky Ridge Medical Center, Valhalla, New York.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Markenson
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woolf
authors.forename: Irwin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Redlener
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reilly
mesh_terms: D002959:Civil Defense / Q000193:education*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D054597:Disaster Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States