title: Development of a disaster preparedness curriculum for medical students: a pilot study of incorporating local events into training opportunities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Contemporary disasters, like the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, have piqued the interest of medical students in disaster preparedness. The topic is also a requirement of undergraduate medical education.(1) Yet current literature suggests that disaster preparedness education is lacking. Our objective was to pilot a curriculum to augment medical students' disaster preparedness education by marshalling local resources to provide practical hands-on experiences.
  
  
  METHODS
  This pilot curriculum consisted of lectures; simulations; asynchronous learning materials; a large-scale, regional disaster exercise; and preparation for and participation in a real-time mass gathering. Outcomes were measured by student performance on written tests and evaluations of each activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic Health Center with associated medical school.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two medical students participated in at least one of the six activities during this voluntary pilot program. Premedical students and residents (n=57) participated in some activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one medical students took either the pretest or the post-test over the curriculum. Only eight students took both. A paired t test comparing pretest to post-test scores using imputed missing data (t=-11.72, df=40, p≤0.001) was consistent with an analysis using only complete data (t=-2.35, df=7, p=0.05), implying that student scores improved significantly over time. Evaluations indicated a student preference for hands-on over didactic or independent learning activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot curriculum was designed to capitalize on practical hands-on training opportunities for our medical students, including participation in a disaster exercise and a mass-gathering event. These opportunities provided effective and engaging disaster preparedness education.
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Pollard
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.affiliation: Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Greer
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Way
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Nicholas E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Kman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000193:education*; D003479:Curriculum; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D013337:Students, Medical