Teleconferences help educate on bioterrorism
AHRQ report: Equal to classroom training
Teleconferences are an effective way to train large numbers of physicians, nurses, and other clinicians and to standardize bioterrorism preparedness training across geographically diverse groups, according to a new report sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in Rockville, MD.
Furthermore, satellite teleconferences may be as effective as classroom training, according to the evidence report, which was produced by the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The report, Training of Clinicians for Public Health Events Relevant to Bioterrorism Preparedness, reviewed 60 studies on the most — and least — effective strategies for training clinicians in bioterrorism preparedness, using models such as infectious disease outbreaks and hospital disaster drill training.
Hospital disaster drill training appears to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the disaster plan and allows them to identify problems in plan execution, says Lisa Simpson, MD, AHRQ deputy director.
But Simpson says the scarcity of studies on this type of training made it difficult for researchers to draw conclusions about the overall efficacy of disaster drills as a way to help prepare for a bioterrorist event. In fact, the report points out that very few bioterrorism preparedness training programs have been rigorously evaluated, and it provides a framework for developing evidence-based educational programs.
"This information will help health care leaders select educational strategies for frontline professionals who are likely to be involved in the assessment and management of victims of a bioterrorist attack," Simpson says. "And these important research findings are just one component of the Department of Health and Human Services’ overall efforts to help clinicians prepare for a potential bioterrorist event."
Funding increases for bioterror response
The new evidence report is part of AHRQ’s $5 million bioterrorism research portfolio announced in October 2000. The portfolio includes research projects that are examining the clinical training and ability of frontline medical staff — including primary care providers, emergency departments, and hospitals — to detect and respond to a bioterrorist threat. The research projects also focus on the use of information and decision-support systems to enhance clinical preparedness and will assess and improve linkages between the health system, local and state public health departments, and emergency preparedness units.
Free copies of the report are available by calling the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at (800) 358-9295, or by e-mail: [email protected].
The President’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2003 includes $518 million to enhance preparedness at the nation’s hospitals to respond to incidents of biological or chemical terrorism, a 284% increase over the amount provided this year. The budget also includes another $100 million for programs for bioterrorism training for health care professionals, poison control centers, and emergency medical services for children.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tommy Thompson announced the funding increase recently. The funding would help build an effective nationwide network prepared to respond to large-scale casualties, as well as helping to provide specific materials to be immediately available in hospitals, and helping to support new clinical personnel. The spending would be used in these ways:
1. support expanded capacity of hospitals and outpatient facilities to confront large-scale casualty incidents;
2. improve capabilities to control infection and treat individuals at risk for a communicable disease;
3. provide training in recognition of rare diseases and treatment of toxic exposures;
4. improve infrastructures, including infectious disease containment systems.
"Our first goal is to ensure that hospitals on the front lines have the capacity to identify the signs of biological attack and to be prepared to respond to biological and chemical incidents," Thompson said in announcing the budget increase.
"In addition, hospitals must be better prepared to control infection for communicable diseases. We also want to help hospitals purchase the equipment they need, including personal protective equipment, to enable them to maintain service, control infection, and decontaminate as needed," he said.
Thompson said hospitals will work in coordination with their states’ preparedness plans to ensure that emergency response networks are in place. Earlier this month, he provided $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2002 funds to the nation’s governors to immediately begin the process of upgrading emergency response capabilities aimed especially at biological events.
In addition to the $518 million for hospital preparedness, the president’s budget for fiscal year 2003 also proposes a new program that would provide $60 million for bioterrorism-related education and training for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals; $21 million to ensure poison control centers provide scientifically based information about the latest threats; and $19 million to help prepare emergency medical services systems to meet the special needs of children in a biological or chemical incident.
The funding proposed for hospitals and training is part of the total $4.3 billion proposed for bioterrorism preparedness in the HHS budget for next year, an increase of 45% over the current year, and more than 10 times the amount of HHS spending on bioterrorism in fiscal year 2001. HHS bioterrorism preparedness funding in fiscal year 2003 includes another $940 million to continue assisting state and local governments to prepare for potential incidents, and nearly $1.7 billion for research, development of vaccines, and diagnostic tools and treatments, as well as infrastructure for research laboratories.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta unveiled a redesigned web site offering both new and updated bioterrorism resources for health professionals and the public. The site at www.bt.cdc.gov addresses the need for up-to-date and accurate information on health threats arising from exposure to biological, chemical, or radiological agents.
The redesigned site, which focuses on public health preparedness and emergency response, is the official federal site for medical, laboratory, and public health professionals to reference when providing information to the public and for updates on protocols related to health threats such as anthrax.
The CDC redesigned the site in response to overwhelming demand from the public and professionals for credible information during the anthrax crisis.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content