IntroductionEmergency management education and large-scale disaster drills help to increase local capacity for dealing with a multitude of hazards. Video recordings of disaster drills offer participants with little exposure to fundamental emergency management principles an introduction to important topics and scenarios. Such resources allow ongoing training and education, thus maximizing the investment required to mount a large-scale exercise.MethodsDuring emergency management exercises in Mumbai, India between 2008 and 2010, video recordings of prior exercises were used to augment training for clinicians, administrators and public health practitioners. During the exercises, videos depicting scenario-based disaster drills were produced for use as teaching and evaluation tools focused on pre-hospital care, trauma life support, and hospital operations. Videos are distributed digitally and online, extending the teaching impact of multi-day courses and serving as a benchmark for future exercises.ResultsDuring the 2010 exercise in Mumbai, approximately eight hours of video footage were recorded by professional producers, and by participants in the evaluation and monitoring track of the course. That footage was added to a library from exercises in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, India, in 2007 and 2008. Video was used as a tool for immediate feedback on participant performance as well as the foundation for ongoing instruction. Videos allowed students to be sensitized to important issues prior to taking part in a drill, and to participate in the post-drill evaluation process.ConclusionVideo documents of disaster management exercises serve as a valuable addition to an ongoing program of emergency management education and preparedness. Short video pieces increase the effectiveness of a teaching program by providing re-usable, easily accessible, and setting-specific teaching tools.
Findings from the Section on Bioinformatics and Translational Informatics
