Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-17T13:27:26.365Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Health Care Student Knowledge and Willingness to Work in Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2017

Rima Patel ,
Kapil Wattamwar ,
Jaya Kanduri ,
Meghan Nahass ,
Jennifer Yoon ,
Justin Oh ,
Parth Shukla  and
Clifton R. Lacy
Rima Patel
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Kapil Wattamwar
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Jaya Kanduri
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Meghan Nahass
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Jennifer Yoon
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Justin Oh
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Parth Shukla
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Clifton R. Lacy*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, and Rutgers School of Engineering, Piscataway, New Jersey, and Rutgers School of Communication and Information, and Rutgers Institute for Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security, New Brunswick, New Jersey
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Clifton R. Lacy, MD, Distinguished Professor of Professional Practice and Director, Institute for Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security, A federally-designated Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 106 Somerset Street – 7th Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (e-mail: clifton.lacy@rutgers.edu).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Health care workers are critical first responders. Understanding which factors motivate their willingness to work (WTW) during infectious disease outbreaks may guide improvements in preparedness. The perspective of health care students, the future workforce, remains largely unexplored. This study compared factors influencing WTW among medical, nursing, and pharmacy students.

Methods

A printed survey was administered to 631 medical, nursing, and pharmacy students. The questionnaire elicited information regarding prior disaster training, disease-related knowledge, and WTW in the setting of infectious diseases with contact or respiratory transmission.

Results

Analyses of the 579 respondents (92% response rate) demonstrated that students were less fearful for their health and more willing to work during outbreaks with contact transmission than during those with respiratory transmission. Medical students were the most fearful for their health, but they demonstrated the greatest WTW, followed by nursing students, and then pharmacy students. Medical students were also the most knowledgeable about infectious diseases. Prior disaster training was associated with greater WTW.

Conclusions

Extent of disease-related knowledge and prior disaster training appear to influence WTW. Our findings, taken in the context of a remarkable underemphasis on disaster preparedness in health care curricula, call for a broader incorporation of disaster training to improve the WTW of health care students, and, ultimately, health care workers. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:694–700)

Keywords

disaster medicineinterdisciplinary medical educationdisaster planningdisease outbreaksemergency preparednessemergency response
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 6 , December 2017 , pp. 694 - 700
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Denotes co-first authors.

References

REFERENCES

1. Khan, AS. Public health preparedness and response in the USA since 9/11: a national health security imperative. Lancet. 2011;378(9794):953-956. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61263-4.Google Scholar
2. Koh, D, Lim, MK, Chia, SE, et al. Risk perception and impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on work and personal lives of healthcare workers in Singapore: what can we learn? Med Care. 2005;43(7):676-682. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mlr.0000167181.36730.cc.Google Scholar
3. Chan-Yeung, M. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and healthcare workers. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2004;10(4):421-427. https://doi.org/10.1179/oeh.2004.10.4.421.Google Scholar
4. Chaffee, M. Willingness of health care personnel to work in a disaster: an integrative review of the literature. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(1):42-56. https://doi.org/10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818e8934.Google Scholar
5. Irvin, C, Cindrich, L, Patterson, W, et al. Survey of hospital healthcare personnel response during a potential avian influenza pandemic: will they come to work? Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008;23(04):328-335. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X00005963.Google Scholar
6. Arbon, P, Ranse, J, Cusack, L, et al. Australasian emergency nurses’ willingness to attend work in a disaster: a survey. Australas Emerg Nurs J. 2013;16(2):52-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aenj.2013.05.003.Google Scholar
7. Rokach, A, Cohen, R, Shapira, N, et al. Preparedness for anthrax attack: the effect of knowledge on the willingness to treat patients. Disasters. 2010;34(3):637-643. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01161.x.Google Scholar
8. Crane, JS, McCluskey, JD, Johnson, GT, et al. Assessment of community healthcare providers ability and willingness to respond to emergencies resulting from bioterrorist attacks. J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2010;3(1):13-20. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2700.55808.Google Scholar
9. Stergachis, A, Garberson, L, Lien, O, et al. Health care workers’ ability and willingness to report to work during public health emergencies. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2011;5(4):300-308. https://doi.org/10.1001/dmp.2011.77.Google Scholar
10. Sauser, K, Burke, RV, Ferrer, RR, et al. Disaster preparedness among medical students: a survey assessment. Am J Disaster Med. 2010;5(5):275-284.Google Scholar
11. Tebruegge, M, Pantazidou, A, Ritz, N, et al. Perception, attitudes and knowledge regarding the 2009 swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic among health-care workers in Australia. J Paediatr Child Health. 2010;46(11):673-679. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01820.x.Google Scholar
12. Mortelmans, LJ, Bouman, SJ, Gaakeer, MI, et al. Dutch senior medical students and disaster medicine: a national survey. Int J Emerg Med. 2015;8(1):34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-015-0077-0.Google Scholar
13. Yonge, O, Rosychuk, RJ, Bailey, TM, et al. Willingness of university nursing students to volunteer during a pandemic. Public Health Nurs. 2010;27(2):174-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1446.2010.00839.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education Educational Outcomes 2004. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. http://www.aacp.org/resources/education/documents/cape2004.pdf. Published 2004. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
15. Accreditation Standards and Guidelines for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/S2007Guidelines2.0_ChangesIdentifiedInRed.pdf. Published February 14, 2011. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
16. Social and Administrative Sciences Supplemental Educational Outcomes Based on CAPE 2004. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. http://www.aacp.org/resources/education/documents/socialandadmindec06.pdf. Published 2007. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
17. Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education Educational Outcomes 2013. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. http://www.aacp.org/resources/education/cape/Open%20Access%20Documents/CAPEoutcomes2013.pdf. Published 2013. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
18. Accreditation Standards and Key Elements for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/Standards2016FINAL.pdf. Published 2015. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
19. Stanley, J. Educational Competencies for Registered Nurses Responding to Mass Casualty Incidents. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/education-resources/INCMCECompetencies.pdf. Published August 2003. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
20. Training future physicians about weapons of mass destruction: Report of the expert panel on bioterrorism education for medical students. Association of American Medical Colleges. https://members.aamc.org/eweb/upload/Training%20Future%20Physicians%20About%20Weapons.pdf. Published 2003. Accessed May 6, 2017.Google Scholar
21. Välimäki, M, Makkonen, P, Blek-vehkaluoto, M, et al. Willingness to care for patients with HIV/AIDS. Nurs Ethics. 2008;15(5):586-600. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733008092868.Google Scholar
22. Kim, JS, Choi, JS. Factors predicting clinical nurses’ willingness to care for Ebola virus disease-infected patients: a cross-sectional, descriptive survey. Nurs Health Sci. 2016;18(3):299-305. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12269.Google Scholar
23. Smith, E. Willingness to work during a terrorist attack: a case-study of first responders during the 9/11 world trade centre terrorist attacks. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine. 2014;6(1):1-11.Google Scholar
24. Qureshi, K, Gershon, R, Gebbie, E, et al. Health care workers’ ability and willingness to report to duty during catastrophic disasters. J Urban Health. 2005;82(3):378-388. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/jti086.Google Scholar
25. Smith, J, Levy, M, Hsu, E, et al. Disaster curricula in medical education: pilot survey. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(05):492-494. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X12001215.Google Scholar