Workshop

Interprofessional Simulation for Emergency Preparedness – when Healthcare Teams Rescue the Day

- CDT
Room: Prague
Rebecca Swanson, DNP, APRN, CPNP - AC/PC
College of Nursing
Jennifer Cera, DNP, APRN-NP, WHNP-BC, FAUNA
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Nancy Krusen, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Track:
  • Innovative Approaches to Interprofessional Pedagogy and Education Science
Each year over four hundred natural disasters occur globally, resulting in injury, illness, and fatalities. According to the disaster database (EM-DAT), there were 187 natural disasters in seventy-nine different countries in the first half of 2022, impacting over fifty million people and resulting in 6000 deaths. (Guha-Sapir & Scales, 2020).

Considering this data, it is imperative to integrate disaster-preparedness within interprofessional healthcare curriculum. Understanding the complex needs during disasters and how Incident command systems function to provide a well-coordinated, efficient, and effective communication strategy are foundational competencies that should be achieved. Enhancing emergency preparedness at both local and national levels requires collaborative efforts across interprofessional disciplines.

The use of experiential learning activities, such as simulation exercises can effectively prepare future providers to proficiently navigate and respond during a time of crisis. Simulation-based interprofessional education enhances student knowledge, retention and promotes collaborative practice. Demonstration of interprofessional disaster preparedness competencies and skill attainment are outlined in many healthcare accreditation standards in academic programs.

Integrating disaster preparedness into an interprofessional healthcare curriculum empowers healthcare professionals to effectively collaborate and respond to the complex challenges posed by disaster situations, ultimately improving patient care and community resilience.Session outline with active learning strategies: 1. Tabletop Incident Command Simulation

a. Disaster Introduction: KMBC 9. (19 July, 2011). Inside the Joplin Hospital as the Tornado Hit [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/

watch? v=K3m3ujos5CTs

2. Group Assignment and Prebrief- Roundtable, Summarize learner roles, expectations

3. Tabletop Incident Command Simulation

a. Scenario Introduction of Impacted Facility

b. Assign Incident Commander

c. Review Roles, and Profiles of Impacted and Receiving Facilities

4. Job Action Sheets

a. Determine Immediate response and Objectives

b. Group Debrief

5. Incident Command Debrief

Learning Objectives

  • Demonstrate knowledge of Incident Command structures, communication strategies and roles within healthcare organizations.
  • Synthesize the available information to coordinate emergency services in a simulated community during a natural disaster.
  • Design and lead an interprofessional emergency evacuation plan for a unique patient scenario that ensures delivery of safe and compassionate care.

References

  • 1. Guha-Sapir D, Scales SE. (2020). Challenges in public health and epidemiology
  • research in humanitarian settings: experiences from the field. BMC Public
  • Health, 20:1761
  • 2. Kharb, A., Bhandari, S., Moitinho de Almeida, M., Castro Delgado, R., Arcos González, P., & Tubeuf, S. (2022). Valuing Human Impact of Natural Disasters: A Review of Methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11486. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811486
  • 3. Brown, M., Fifolt, M., Lee, H., Nabavi, M., Kidd, E., Viles, A., White, M. & McCormick, L. (2022). Disaster preparedness: An interprofessional student incident command system simulation. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 27, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100507
  • 4.Federal Emergency Management Agency. (n.d.). ICS resource center. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved 12/18/2024, from https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource
  • 5.Fiflot, M., Brown, M., Kidd, E., Nabavi,M., Lee, H., McCormick, L. (2023). Using interprofessional simulation to enhance student knowledge and promote collaborative practice in disaster management. Pedagogy in Health Promotion: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(1), 64-71. doi: 10.1177/2373379920987576.