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Identifying Deficiencies in National and Foreign Medical Team Responses Through Expert Opinion Surveys: Implications for Education and Training

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2014

Ahmadreza Djalali ,
Pier Luigi Ingrassia ,
Francesco Della Corte ,
Marco Foletti ,
Alba Ripoll Gallardo ,
Luca Ragazzoni ,
Kubilay Kaptan ,
Olivera Lupescu ,
Chris Arculeo  and
Gotz von Arnim
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Ahmadreza Djalali*
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Pier Luigi Ingrassia
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Francesco Della Corte
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Marco Foletti
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Alba Ripoll Gallardo
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Luca Ragazzoni
Affiliation:
CRIMEDIM, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Kubilay Kaptan
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Center (AFAM), Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey
Olivera Lupescu
Affiliation:
URGENTA, Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
Chris Arculeo
Affiliation:
Hanover Associates, Teddington, London, United kingdom
Gotz von Arnim
Affiliation:
NHCS, National Health Career School of Management, Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany
Tom Friedl
Affiliation:
NHCS, National Health Career School of Management, Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany
Michael Ashkenazi
Affiliation:
Bonn International Center for Conversion, Bonn, Germany
Deike Heselmann
Affiliation:
University Clinic Bonn Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Germany
Boris Hreckovski
Affiliation:
CROUMSA, Croatian Urgent Medicine and Surgery Association, Slav. Brod, Croatia
Amir Khorrram-Manesh
Affiliation:
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden
Radko Komadina
Affiliation:
SBC, General &Teaching Hospital Celje, Medical Faculty Ljubljana, Slovenia
Kostanze Lechner
Affiliation:
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Cristina Patru
Affiliation:
Clinical Emergency Hospital Bucharest, Romania
Frederick M. Burkle Jr.
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, MassachusettsUSA
Philipp Fisher
Affiliation:
University Clinic Bonn Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Germany
*
Correspondence: Ahmadreza Djalali, MD, PhD CRIMEDIM Università del Piemonte Orientale Novara, Italy E-mail djalali@med.unipmn.it
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Abstract

Introduction

Unacceptable practices in the delivery of international medical assistance are reported after every major international disaster; this raises concerns about the clinical competence and practice of some foreign medical teams (FMTs). The aim of this study is to explore and analyze the opinions of disaster management experts about potential deficiencies in the art and science of national and FMTs during disasters and the impact these opinions might have on competency-based education and training.

Method

This qualitative study was performed in 2013. A questionnaire-based evaluation of experts’ opinions and experiences in responding to disasters was conducted. The selection of the experts was done using the purposeful sampling method, and the sample size was considered by data saturation. Content analysis was used to explore the implications of the data.

Results

This study shows that there is a lack of competency-based training for disaster responders. Developing and performing standardized training courses is influenced by shortcomings in budget, expertise, and standards. There is a lack of both coordination and integration among teams and their activities during disasters. The participants of this study emphasized problems concerning access to relevant resources during disasters.

Conclusion

The major findings of this study suggest that teams often are not competent during the response phase because of education and training deficiencies. Foreign medical teams and medically related nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) do not always provide expected capabilities and services. Failures in leadership and in coordination among teams are also a problem. All deficiencies need to be applied to competency-based curricula.

DjalaliA, IngrassiaPL, Della CorteF, FolettiM, Ripoll GallardoA, RagazzoniL, KaptanK, LupescuO, ArculeoC, von ArnimG, FriedlT, AshkenaziM, HeselmannD, HreckovskiB, Khorrram-ManeshA, KomadinaR, LechnerK, PatruC, BurkleFMJr., FisherP. Identifying Deficiencies in National and Foreign Medical Team Responses Through Expert Opinion Surveys: Implications for Education and Training. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(4):1-5.

Keywords

competenciesdisaster medicineeducationresponseteamtraining
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , August 2014 , pp. 364 - 368
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

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