title: Hospital preparedness for Ebola virus disease: a training course in the Philippines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop, teach and evaluate a training workshop that could rapidly prepare large numbers of health professionals working in hospitals in the Philippines to detect and safely manage Ebola virus disease (EVD). The strategy was to train teams (each usually with five members) of key health professionals from public, private and local government hospitals across the Philippines who could then guide Ebola preparedness in their hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The workshop was developed collaboratively by the Philippine Department of Health and the country office of the World Health Organization. It was evaluated using a pre- and post-workshop test and two evaluation forms. χ(2) tests and linear regression analyses were conducted comparing pre- and post-workshop test results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A three-day workshop was developed and used to train 364 doctors, nurses and medical technologists from 78 hospitals across the Philippines in three initial batches. Knowledge about EVD increased significantly (P < 0.009) although knowledge on transmission remained suboptimal. Confidence in managing EVD increased significantly (P = 0.018) with 96% of participants feeling more prepared to safely manage EVD cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The three-day workshop to prepare hospital staff for EVD was effective at increasing the level of knowledge about EVD and the level of confidence in managing EVD safely. This workshop could be adapted for use as baseline training in EVD in other developing countries to prepare large numbers of hospital staff to rapidly detect, isolate and safely manage EVD cases.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Philippines .
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carlos
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Philippines .
authors.forename: Rowena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capistrano
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Philippines .
authors.forename: Charissa Fay
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Tobora
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Philippines .
authors.forename: Mari Rose
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: delos Reyes
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Philippines .
authors.forename: Socorro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lupisan
authors.affiliation: Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines .
authors.forename: Aura
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corpuz
authors.affiliation: Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines .
authors.forename: Charito
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aumentado
authors.affiliation: National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Department of Health, Manila, Philippines .
authors.forename: Lyndon Lee
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Suy
authors.affiliation: Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines .
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines .
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Donald
authors.affiliation: Office of the WHO Representative in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines .
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Counahan
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America .
authors.forename: Melanie S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Curless
authors.affiliation: Consultant, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada .
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rhymer
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America .
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gavin
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America .
authors.forename: Chelsea
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America .
authors.forename: Meredith A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Philippines .
authors.forename: Albert D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Anduyon
authors.affiliation: Tropical Health Solutions Pty Ltd, Townsville, Australia .
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buttner
authors.affiliation: Tropical Health Solutions Pty Ltd, Townsville, Australia . ; College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia .
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Speare
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D010679:Philippines; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020377:Self Efficacy; D055815:Young Adult