Assessing Emergency Preparedness and Bioterrorism Training Needs

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Assessing Emergency Preparedness and Bioterrorism
Training Needs

• Designing and Implementing
• a Region Wide Assessment
• Suzanne Swadener
• Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
• Carolyn Stemshorn
• Evaluation Team, Group Health Community
  Foundation

A collaboration between
Evaluation Team Group Health Community
Foundation www.ghcfoundation.org
Northwest Center for Public Health
PracticeUniversity of Washington School of
Public Health and Community Medicinehttp//nwcphp
.org
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Presentation Objectives

• Background
• Emergency preparedness-bioterrorism training
  needs assessment instrument
• Challenges of implementation
• Lessons to be applied nationally

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Background

• CDC funding post 9-11
• Focus on emergency preparedness
• Required to complete training needs assessment
• Bioterrorism competencies
• What is a competency?
• Developed by Columbia School of Nursing

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Bioterrorism Competencies
http//cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nursing/institute
-centers/chphsr/
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Development of NWCPHP Instrument

• Developed in collaboration with NWC partner
  states
• Instrument based on
• CDC/Columbia Emergency and BT Preparedness
  Competencies
• Other Resources DOJ, NPHPSP, Core Competencies

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The NWCPHP Instrument

• Assesses individual worker training needs
• Fulfills Focus Area G Critical Capacity 16
  requirements
• Targets public health professionals
• Flexible design

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The NWCPHP Instrument

• Content from BT Competencies
• 9 versions
• 4 sections
• Mix of Likert Scale and multiple choice questions
• 18-21 pages
• Administration 20 minutes

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Questions, Section I, II
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Questions, Section III-IV

• Training preferences
• Specific topics
• Type of courses
• Learning setting
• Incentive and barriers
• Computers and Internet
• Demographics

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Sites Using NWCPHP Instrument

• States
• Alaska
• Idaho
• Wyoming
• Montana

• Public Health Ready Sites
• Thurston County, Washington
• Tarrant County, Texas
• Tulsa County, Oklahoma
• Cherokee Nation

NWCPHP provided Technical Assistance
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Whats Next

• Individual sites
• Use results to develop training plan
• Re-assess in 1-3 years to measure changes
• NWCPHP create regional report of training needs

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Challenges

• Assessment using competency statements
• Evolving role of PH in emergency prepardness
• Defining target population
• Recruiting non-traditional public health
  population
• Analyzing and translating the results
• Limitations of self-assessment

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Results Top Needed Topics

• Emergency response partners
• Individuals roles and responsibilities
• Emergency response protocols, and procedures
• Emergency response laws, regulations, and
  ordinances
• Surveillance/ epidemiology
• Incident command systems
• Communication

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Lessons to Apply Nationally

• Collaborative model NWCPHP/ State partnership
• Using BT/EP competencies to assess training needs
• Using results to develop training plan
• Creating models for assessment/
  planning/evaluation example Project Public
  Health Ready model

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• Questions?

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Contacting Us

• Suzanne Swadener, Assistant Director
• Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
• 206-685-1130
• sswadene_at_u.washington.edu
• www.nwcphp.org
• Carolyn Stemshorn, Project Manager
• Evaluation Team, Group Health Community
  Foundation
• 206-287-4691
• stemshorn.c_at_ghc.org
• www.ghcfoundation.org