Dear Editor,
I found this article that highlights junior doctors' lack of
awareness with regard to the procedures in case of a major incident,
interesting. It covers an important aspect of emergency planning and
preparedness, which stimulated my thinking. As a health professional
educator, the article's findings drew to my attention the need to
strengthen the integration of such procedures into the pre-service
curriculum. Education institutions that train health professionals have
the responsibility of preparing new graduates with the necessary
competencies so that they can practice effectively. The mastery of such
competencies allows smooth running of hospitals especially in case of
major incidents that require professionals to know how to respond quickly.
A teaching intervention was implemented to raise the awareness of
major incidents and related procedures. The advantages of in-service
training such as this have been documented in the literature and this
intervention was noted to be highly effective when assessed immediately
after the intervention. However, many in-service training interventions
result in positive changes but such changes tend to be short-lived. It has
been documented that benefits of in-service training on various aspects of
care do not last long with regard to changing practice (Gammon, Morgan-
Samuel & Gould, 2008, Opiyo & English, 2010). As health
professional educators, we need to recognize that in-service training can
only act as a supplement to comprehensive pre-service training.
A final issue to consider is to establish the level of awareness in
other professions that have a role in managing a major incident. In case
of such an incident, all health professionals, such as nurses,
pharmacists, laboratory technicians, need to be well prepared to be able
to act effectively and efficiently. Establishing this ensures timely
intervention to prepare all health professionals in case of a major
incident.
Gammon J, Morgan-Samuel H & Gould D (2008) A review of the
evidence for suboptimal compliance of healthcare practitioners to
standard/universal infection control precautions. Journal of Clinical
Nursing 17, 157-167
Opiyo N, English M. (2010) In-service training for health
professionals to improve care of the seriously ill newborn or child in low
and middle-income countries (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD007071. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007071.pub2
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
Dear Editor,
I found this article that highlights junior doctors' lack of awareness with regard to the procedures in case of a major incident, interesting. It covers an important aspect of emergency planning and preparedness, which stimulated my thinking. As a health professional educator, the article's findings drew to my attention the need to strengthen the integration of such procedures into the pre-service curriculum. Education institutions that train health professionals have the responsibility of preparing new graduates with the necessary competencies so that they can practice effectively. The mastery of such competencies allows smooth running of hospitals especially in case of major incidents that require professionals to know how to respond quickly.
A teaching intervention was implemented to raise the awareness of major incidents and related procedures. The advantages of in-service training such as this have been documented in the literature and this intervention was noted to be highly effective when assessed immediately after the intervention. However, many in-service training interventions result in positive changes but such changes tend to be short-lived. It has been documented that benefits of in-service training on various aspects of care do not last long with regard to changing practice (Gammon, Morgan- Samuel & Gould, 2008, Opiyo & English, 2010). As health professional educators, we need to recognize that in-service training can only act as a supplement to comprehensive pre-service training.
A final issue to consider is to establish the level of awareness in other professions that have a role in managing a major incident. In case of such an incident, all health professionals, such as nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, need to be well prepared to be able to act effectively and efficiently. Establishing this ensures timely intervention to prepare all health professionals in case of a major incident.
Gammon J, Morgan-Samuel H & Gould D (2008) A review of the evidence for suboptimal compliance of healthcare practitioners to standard/universal infection control precautions. Journal of Clinical Nursing 17, 157-167
Opiyo N, English M. (2010) In-service training for health professionals to improve care of the seriously ill newborn or child in low and middle-income countries (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD007071. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007071.pub2
Conflict of Interest:
None declared