Medical Students As Disaster Volunteers: A Strategy for Improving Emergency Department Surge Response in Times of Crisis

Overview

Journal World J Crit Care Med

Publisher Baishideng Publishing Group

Specialty Critical Care

Date 2021 Oct 7

PMID 34616653

Citations 2

Authors

R Ponampalam

Jeremy Zhenwen Pong

Xiang-Yi Wong

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Disasters resulting in mass casualty incidents can rapidly overwhelm the Emergency Department (ED). To address critical manpower needs in the ED's disaster response, medical student involvement has been advocated. Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School is in proximity to Singapore General Hospital and represents an untapped manpower resource. With appropriate training and integration into ED disaster workflows, medical students can be leveraged upon as qualified manpower. This review provides a snapshot of the conceptualization and setting up of the Disaster Volunteer Corps - a programme where medical students were recruited to receive regular training and assessment from emergency physicians on disaster response principles to fulfil specific roles during a crisis, while working as part of a team under supervision. We discuss overall strategy and benefits to stakeholders, emphasizing the close symbiotic relationship between academia and healthcare services.

Citing Articles

Disaster Medicine Education for Medical Students: A Scoping Review.

Rashid H, Alexakis L, Pereira I Cureus. 2024; 16(12):e75035.

PMID: 39629294 PMC: 11614030. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.75035.

Importance of continuing health care before emergency hospital evacuation: a fatal case of a hospitalized patient in a hospital within 5 km radius of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: a case report.

Yoshida M, Sawano T, Kobashi Y, Hori A, Nishikawa Y, Ozaki A J Med Case Rep. 2023; 17(1):37.

PMID: 36747281 PMC: 9903404. DOI: 10.1186/s13256-022-03744-6.

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