Integrating emergency preparedness competency frameworks in workforce development training

Authors: Celine Tabche, FHEA, MSc, ANtr, Zeenah Atwan, Salman Rawaf

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🖋️ Annotation by: Mona Kuroiwa WHOCC Intern

This article presents the development and implementation of training designed to integrate emergency preparedness competencies into health education for healthcare professionals. The course aims to address gaps in workforce readiness by embedding structured, competency-based learning into professional development.

A notable strength of the article is its responsiveness to international health priorities. Moreover, the interdisciplinary applicability of the course adds value, supporting a broader culture of resilience across healthcare settings. However, providing more detail on the specific competencies addressed, the guiding frameworks, and the instructional strategies used could enhance the course’s applicability across settings.  Nonetheless, this case study is overall a valuable contribution to the literature on health workforce development. This work contributes meaningfully to discussions on emergency preparedness education and is especially relevant to institutions striving to build resilient, responsive health systems through professional training. In addition, the training equally covered both technical and soft skills.

Overall, the effectiveness of the training was satisfactory - the lessons learnt were applied by 55% of the participants in their work field and all participants passed the training assessment.

Reflection :
This article effectively underscores the urgency of integrating emergency preparedness into health education, offering a useful model for aligning training with real-world public health needs. The study is limited by the small sample size (only 10 completed the questionnaire) so it needs broader validation to generalise the results. It resonates with the Imperial WHOCC’s commitment to advancing public health through education, research, and training, and supports the WHO’s global agenda for health emergency preparedness and system resilience.

Read the full article here 📖 Integrating emergency preparedness competency frameworks in workforce development training - ScienceDirect

Annotation reviewed by: Ela Augustyniak, Educational Projects Manager; Rachel Barker, Support Officer; & Professor Zeenah Atwan Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London & Professor of Virology at The University of Basrah

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