Training Future Physicians About Weapons of Mass Destruction
This report and the study on which it is based were motivated by the events of September 11 2001 and later anthrax incidents in the United States. The study, funded through a cooperative agreement between the AAMC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was the work of a multi-disciplinary panel of educators from schools of medicine, nursing and public health, experts in weapons of mass destruction (WMD) preparedness and military medicine, and representatives from the CDC and AAMC.
The report is intended to offer strategies for preparing medical students to address the the health consequences of the use of WMD (biologic, chemical, physical, and radiological agents). According to the report, "Depending on the characteristics of a WMD event, physicians may play critical roles in identifying, responding to, and recovering from the WMD." For that reason, the panel found, United States medical schools should incorporate WMD education into the entire 4-year curriculum.
This educational strategy involves building knowledge of specific WMD agents and the clinical practice that is associated with caring for patients who may have been exposed to these agents. Specific learning objectives - including those related to the psychological and mental health effects of exposure to WMD - are presented.
Critically, the panel recommends that physicians-in-training also develop a broad understanding of their roles in the implementation of WMD preparedness and response interventions. Building this understanding requires that students gain adequate knowledge of the public health and emergency management systems, in large part by consulting with public health and emergency management professionals. Beyond learning from these personnel, students will need to develop the practical ability to communicate and cooperate with multidisciplinary teams in the event of a WMD disaster: "Because of the unlawful nature of the exposures and the potential population-wide impact, physicians may be interacting with law enforcement, emergency personnel, public health agencies, the media, and their communities..." Preparing future physicians for this kind of interaction, the panel holds, will help ensure coordinated responses to WMD.
According to the report, educational strategies to help students achieve the necessary competencies in the area of WMD preparedness and response include: lectures, directed reading, use of standardised patients, objective structured clinical examinations, review and discussion of case studies, use of existing distance-learning courses, research in WMD and WMD-related health care delivery, seminars to address student anxiety and fears regarding their responsibilities, tabletop exercises, disaster drills, and participation in public health and community emergency planning activities.
Examples of training programmes and a list of WMD resources are provided.
Click here to access the report in PDF format.
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