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Utilization of the TRAIN Learning Network for Online Disaster Medicine and Public Health Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Trent R. Malcolm
Affiliation:
Jefferson Health New Jersey, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jefferson Washington Township Hospital, Sewell, New Jersey, USA
Ilya Plotkin
Affiliation:
Public Health Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Norma Quintanilla
Affiliation:
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Kelly Schuitema
Affiliation:
The Rowan School of Medicine Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Jefferson Health New Jersey, Jefferson Stratford Hospital, Stratford, New Jersey, USA
Keke Schuler
Affiliation:
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Thomas D. Kirsch*
Affiliation:
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
*
Corresponding author: Thomas D. Kirsch, Email: thomas.kirsch@usuhs.edu.

Abstract

Objective:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically accelerated a growing trend toward online and asynchronous education and professional training, including in the disaster medicine and public health sector. This study analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of the TRAIN Learning Network (TRAIN) for the year 2020 and evaluated pandemic-related changes in use patterns by disaster and public health professionals.

Methods:

The TRAIN database was queried to determine the change in the number of registered users, total courses completed, and courses completed related to COVID-19 during 2020.

Results:

In 2020, a total of 755,222 new users joined the platform – nearly 3 times the average added annually over the preceding 5 y (2015-2019). TRAIN users completed 3,259,074 training courses in 2020, more than double the average number of training courses that were completed annually from 2015-2019. In addition, 17.8% of all newly added disaster and public health training courses in 2020 were specifically related to COVID-19.

Conclusion:

Online education provided by TRAIN is a critical tool for just-in-time disaster health training following a disaster event or public health emergency, including in a global health crisis such as a pandemic.

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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