Disaster Medicine: Principles and Responses
About this topic
Overview
As both natural disasters and terror events become more frequent around the world, it is vital health practitioners are prepared to respond quickly and decisively. This subject explores the essential principles of disaster management, with a focus on prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. You will gain a detailed understanding of the principles of disaster management, as well as key terminology, and different types of disasters and the hazards associated with them. You will explore the concepts of disaster command and control, and the structures and systems underpinning a disaster response and examine the impact disasters have on vulnerable communities and consider the role of healthcare worker resilience.
Intended Learning Outcomes
- Outline and apply disaster medicine and disaster health management principles considering the different disaster health systems
- Analyse the factors that underpin level of response and the principles that are applied to prevent, manage, contain and diffuse disaster threats in clinical settings
- Evaluate effective planning for clinical and health service response to a range of disaster events, e.g. natural disasters, infectious diseases, transport and mass casualty events
- Contrast triage systems for individual patients with those required for mass casualties
- Outline methods to address the complex physical and psychological factors involved in after care and recovery post event
- Critically assess the clinical and health service risk and impact of disaster events
- Describe the problem-solving and communication skills, under crisis situations, and for a range of environmental and geographic clinical settings that are applicable to future professional practice
Dates and times
Commences April for a 12-week teaching period.
Teaching and Learning
A 12-week teaching period, total time commitment of 170 hours.
Material will be deliverd in asynchonous online modules coupled with weekly online tutorials and a face-to-face compulsory workshop in week 11 in Melbourne. Weekly breakdown of learning activities: 5-6 hours of reading, 2 hours of online activities and discussion. A one-hour tutorial each week.
Assessment
For assessment information, refer to the handbook link for MD Discovery 1: Foundation.
Contact information
For any student queries contact the Student and Programs Coordinator.