The Knowledge and Training Needs of Disaster Medicine among Healthcare Professionals and Medical Students in Makkah City: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction:Disaster medicine aims to prevent and respond to devastating events. Health professionals need to understand their role in disaster management to effectively respond when disasters occur. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge level, preparedness, and the training gaps regarding disaster medicine among health professionals and medical students/interns in Makkah (Mecca) city.Method:This is an online-based cross-sectional study design conducted in Makkah City. Physicians, nurses, and medical students/interns were included. Continuous variables were reported as means and confidence intervals. While categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages. Data were analyzed by Chi-square and Anova test as appropriate.Results:Of the 651 participants, the mean age was 27.69 (95% CI 28.13 to 27.24) with 360 (55.30%) participants being males. The mean average score of disaster medicine knowledge was 7.90 (95% CI 8.29-7.51) for medical students/interns, 8.12 (95% CI 8.77-7.47) for nurses, and 4.85 (95% CI 5.21-4.49) for physicians (P <0.0001). The majority of participants selected first-aid skills and triage and evacuation as crucial aspects to be covered in learning disaster medicine, 406 (62.4%) and 373 (57.3%) respectively.Conclusion:In this study, the level of knowledge regarding disaster management is average among the healthcare population. Certain aspects of disaster medicine are needed to be focused on such as first-aid skills and triage and evacuation. Incorporating disaster medicine as part of training programs is a demand.