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Attitudes of Medical Students Toward Volunteering in Emergency Situations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2019

Pishoy Gouda Open the ORCID record for Pishoy Gouda [Opens in a new window] ,
Aoife Kirk ,
Anne-Marie Sweeney  and
Diarmuid O’Donovan
Pishoy Gouda*
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland Division of Cardiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Aoife Kirk
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Anne-Marie Sweeney
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Diarmuid O’Donovan
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Pishoy Gouda, Walter Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, 8440-112 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7 (e-mail: Pishoy.gouda1@ucalgary.ca).
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Abstract

Objective:

With the rising incidence of health care emergencies, there has been a considerable burden placed on health care systems worldwide. We aimed to determine the willingness and capacity of medical students in Ireland to volunteer during health care emergencies.

Methods:

An online, cross-sectional survey of medical students at the National University of Ireland was conducted in 2015.

Results:

Respondents totaling 274 completed the survey (response rate – 30.1%). Of participants, 69.0% were willing to volunteer in the event of a natural disaster and 59.1% in an event of an infectious epidemic, with altruism being the strongest motivational factor. Only a minority of students (23.7%) felt their current skill level would be useful in an emergency setting.

Conclusions:

Medical students express a strong interest in actively participating during health care emergencies.

Keywords

disaster medicinemedical educationmedical students
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , June 2020 , pp. 308 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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