The impact of an online interprofessional course in disaster management competency and attitude towards interprofessional learning

Abstract

A recent national assessment of emergency planning in Canada suggests that health care professionals are not properly prepared for disasters. In response to this gap, an interprofessional course in disaster management was developed, implemented and evaluated in Toronto, Canada from 2007 to 2008. Undergraduate students from five educational institutions in nursing, medicine, paramedicine, police, media and health administration programs took an eight-week online course. The course was highly interactive and included video, a discussion forum, an online board game and opportunity to participate in a high fidelity disaster simulation with professional staff. Curriculum developers set interprofessional competency as a major course outcome and this concept guided every aspect of content and activity development. A study was conducted to examine change in students' perceptions of disaster management competency and interprofessional attitudes after the course was completed. Results indicate that the course helped students master basic disaster management content and raised their awareness of, and appreciation for, other members of the interdisciplinary team. The undergraduate curriculum must support the development of collaborative competencies and ensure learners are prepared to work in collaborative practice.

Keywords:

• Interprofessional education
• disaster management
• competency
• online learning

Acknowledgements

The production of this report has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada. The Colleges, Universities and Institutes involved in the project were: Centennial College, George Brown College, The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, Ryerson University, The University of Toronto. The authors extend their sincere thanks to Glen Bandiera and Robert Luke and for their contribution to the evaluation framework and to the IDEAS Network Steering Committee members and students who contributed their time so willingly to the project: http://www.ideasnetwork.ca/viewthread.php?tid=855&sid=mGiKHh.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.