An Emergency and Disaster Course on Responding to Community and Family Healthcare Problems with Interprofessional Education for Undergraduate Medical, Nursing, and Dietitian Students

Abstract

Introduction:Emergencies and disasters need inter-discipline and inter-professional approaches because many problems in a disaster are due to poor coordination and collaboration. The disaster events during a decade in Indonesia highlighted the limitations of the healthcare system in responding to large-scale public health problems. Disaster health preparedness is the key to an effective response to any problems in community and family. Thus, education for health students has become a priority.Aim:Preparing fourth-year health students to be aware of disaster health problems in family and community with an inter-professional approach.Methods:Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing UGM were prepared for the fourth year undergraduate health students through a semester “Emergency and Disaster Course” under Community Family and Healthcare with the Inter-professional Education Program, first given in 2016 for four hundred students. Mix method between class lecture, training skill, and simulation. The course goals are to (1) educate students on disaster health management, (2) understand the health preparedness and disaster family kit, and (3) define the principle of health worker’s role and collaboration in disaster.Results:The course was well received and at the 2017-2018 session was improved based on students and faculty feedback. Disaster knowledge of students changed. However, they still had a problem in communication between professions. And addition, they became aware of the function and each role of health profession competency during a disaster.Discussion:A course for fourth-year health students about emergency and disaster health management is extremely relevant because they will be health workers soon. They must have good awareness, knowledge, and attitude to cope with disaster health problems in the future.