Date of Submission
4-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Health Science
Department
Health Sciences
First Advisor
Elisabeth Schlegel, MSc, PhD, MBA, MS (HPPL)
Second Advisor
Shara D. Steiner, DO, Master of Academic Medicine
Third Advisor
Bernard Jones, DSc., MBCI, CBCP
LCSH
Interprofessional education, Curriculum planning, Emergency management, Crisis management, Public health
Abstract
In our world, hazards and disasters are becoming more frequent and destructive. The impacts that disasters have on physical, mental, and environmental health are substantial and can be devastating. Responding to and recovering from disasters with increasing complexities requires interdisciplinary teams with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that transcend several fields. This thesis aims to investigate the essential educational factors of interprofessional education (IPE) to inform the development of an effective curriculum that implements IPE for education in public health emergency management (PHEM). The thesis was supported by a quantitative survey with open-ended questions. Curriculum development followed the Kern 6-step approach, which started with an integrative literature review and analysis of IPE curricula. Primary data collection took place by online questionnaire and was distributed to key stakeholders (Certified Emergency Managers) who were recruited by convenience, purposive, and snowball sampling. Respondents demonstrated high agreement with the importance of competencies that support IPE in public health emergency management. Conversely, respondents were less in agreement when asked about their own ability to demonstrate the competencies associated with interprofessional collaborative practice. Respondents identified undergraduate education as the ideal time to introduce IPE into general education and provided what they perceived as barriers to the implementation of IPE-centered curricula. This thesis provides recommendations for implementing and evaluating IPE for PHEM by first informing and then developing components of a curriculum for interprofessional learners. Data collected informed the development of an IPE-centered curriculum for learners in fields relevant to the management of public health emergencies. A curricular framework was developed using the Kern 6-step approach. Course and learner outcome objectives were drawn from multiple IPE frameworks as well as the respondent feedback and were guided by the Next Generation Core Competencies for Emergency Management Professionals. The proposed curriculum evaluation uses the Kirkpatrick model of educational outcomes for interprofessional education.
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Terry D., "Public Health Emergency Management for Interprofessional Learners: Development of a Curriculum" (2024). Health Science Doctoral Thesis. 6.
https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/healthscidocthesis/6