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Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Medical Students Toward Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Medicine in Singapore

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2023

Seow Shuen Nicole Rachel Cheng Open the ORCID record for Seow Shuen Nicole Rachel Cheng [Opens in a new window] ,
Shen You Jonathan Ng ,
Kim Yao Ong ,
Zhi Kuan Kenneth Loi ,
Yu Xian Lei ,
Xiang Yi Wong  and
Li Juan Joy Quah
Seow Shuen Nicole Rachel Cheng*
Affiliation:
Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH), Singapore
Shen You Jonathan Ng
Affiliation:
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore
Kim Yao Ong
Affiliation:
Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH), Singapore
Zhi Kuan Kenneth Loi
Affiliation:
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore
Yu Xian Lei
Affiliation:
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Xiang Yi Wong
Affiliation:
Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Li Juan Joy Quah
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
*
Corresponding author: Nicole Cheng; Email: nicrcheng@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Objective:

Despite rising incidences of global disasters, basic principles of disaster medicine training are barely taught in Singapore’s 3 medical schools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current levels of emergency preparedness, attitudes, and perceptions of disaster medicine education among medical students in Singapore.

Methods:

The Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) was provided to enrolled medical students in Singapore by means of an online form, from March 6, 2020, to February 20, 2021. A total of 635 (25.7%) responses were collated and analyzed.

Results:

Mean score for overall familiarity was low, at 1.50 ± 0.74, on a Likert scale of 1 for not familiar to 5 for very familiar. A total of 90.6% of students think that disaster medicine is an important facet of the curriculum, and 93.1% agree that training should be provided for medical students. Although 77.3% of respondents believe that they are unable to contribute to a disaster scenario currently, 92.8% believe that they will be able to contribute with formal training.

Conclusions:

Despite low levels of emergency preparedness knowledge, the majority of medical students in Singapore are keen for adaptation of disaster medicine into the current curriculum to be able to contribute more effectively. This can arm future health-care professionals with the confidence to respond to any potential emergency.

Keywords

disaster medicineemergency preparednesseducationpublic health professionalemergency medicine
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e438
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health

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