Development and evaluation of an elective course on the pharmacist’s role in disaster management in France

Abstract

Purpose: To describe our experiences with the development of an elective course on the pharmacist’s role in disaster management for third-year pharmacy students and to evaluate its effects on students’ knowledge and their perceptions of the introduction of this course into the curriculum.Methods: An expert team of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists of the Service de Santé des Armées, pharmacists teaching at the Faculty of Pharmacy, and pharmacists from the Bataillon des Marins Pompiers de Marseille developed a program consisting of 30 hours of modules on disaster response training based on previously published recommendations, a literature analysis, and international guidelines. Students’ knowledge of key competencies was assessed after some teaching sessions through a multiple-choice quiz. Students’ self-perceived knowledge, perceptions of teaching quality, and degree of satisfaction were evaluated through a voluntary survey after the last teaching session on November 15.Results: The final curriculum consisted of 6 modules. Students’ knowledge of key competencies was assessed using multiple-choice quizzes, with a mean score of 19 of 25. Almost all students (98.3%) reported that this training program improved their knowledge of the pharmacist’s role in disaster management, and 79.3% stated that they would recommend this optional course.Conclusion: This training course demonstrated the potential to increase the number of pharmacists prepared to respond to disasters. It also expanded students’ understanding of the pharmacist’s role and stimulated their interest in emergency preparedness. Further refinement of the program, including a simulation of mass triage in an emergency setting, will be conducted next year.

Evaluation of Disaster Medicine Preparedness among Healthcare Profession Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Pakistan

“…They concluded that the potential exists to increase the number of pharmacists prepared to respond to disasters. The course also expanded students' understanding of the pharmacist's role and inspired them to be involved in emergency preparedness [47].…”

Impact of Nursing Clinical Elective Courses on New Graduate Nurses' Clinical Practice

“…Of the 30 articles, 11 provided evaluation data on the course itself, including the quality of the course, satisfaction with the course, how well the course met the objectives, and the student's intent in going into the specialty field after graduation. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Another 17 studies evaluated student-related outcomes immediately following the course, such as knowledge, confidence, attitude, and perceptions related to the content. 4,5,12,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Two other studies did not evaluate student outcomes.…”

“…Key search terms included education OR outcomes of education AND clinical elective OR elective course. Of the 30 articles, 11 provided evaluation data on the course itself, including the quality of the course, satisfaction with the course, how well the course met the objectives, and the student's intent in going into the specialty field after graduation 8-18. Another 17 studies evaluated student-related outcomes immediately following the course, such as knowledge, confidence, attitude, and perceptions related to the content 4,5,12,19-32.…”

How to Best Prepare Pharmacy Students for Disaster Management: A Qualitative Study

“…[4][5][6][7][8] Evaluation based on the learning module on the role of pharmacists in disaster management has indicated the need for mass triage simulation programs for emergency situations. 8,9 Students equipped with the knowledge and skills required for disaster management can show superior responses in disaster situations. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the opinions of academic and professional pharmacists regarding what pharmacy students need to prepare for future efforts in disaster management based on their experience.…”