Baseline preparedness and evaluation of a blended disaster medicine course among medical students at Yarmouk University, Jordan

Abstract

Disasters, including armed conflicts, pandemics, and natural hazards, pose major challenges to healthcare systems and require a well-prepared healthcare workforce. However, disaster medicine remains insufficiently integrated into many undergraduate medical curricula. This study assessed baseline preparedness, perceived competence, previous training, and attitudes toward disaster response and evaluated students’ experiences and retrospective self-rated knowledge following a blended disaster medicine course. A two-stage study was conducted consisting of a cross-sectional survey followed by an educational intervention. The baseline survey included 298 fifth- and sixth-year medical students and assessed demographics, previous disaster-related training, willingness to participate in disaster response, perceived competence, and future training needs across war, pandemic, and earthquake scenarios. A blended disaster medicine course combining online theoretical instruction with face-to-face practical training was subsequently delivered. Forty-nine students completed the course and provided module-specific usefulness ratings while 37 completed the comprehensive post- course evaluation, including retrospective pre- and post-course self-ratings of knowledge. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square test, paired-samples t test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Friedman test were used for data analysis. Most students reported willingness to participate in disaster response during wars (82.2%), pandemics (77.6%), and earthquakes (79.9%). However, perceived competence was considerably lower (38.2%, 43.2%, and 24.2%, respectively). Sixth-year students demonstrated higher perceived competence in war-related disaster management than fifth-year students ( p = 0.010) while female students reported higher earthquake-related competence than males ( p = 0.036). Mean self-reported knowledge increased significantly from 1.46 ± 0.80 before the course to 3.97 ± 0.64 afterward ( p < 0.001). Course modules differed significantly in perceived usefulness ( p < 0.001), with case-based learning, disaster triage, CBRN/PPE, and disaster medical care modules receiving the highest ratings. Medical students demonstrated high willingness but limited self-perceived preparedness for disaster response. Among course-evaluation respondents, participation in the blended disaster medicine course was associated with a marked retrospective increase in self-rated knowledge and favorable evaluations, particularly of practical and case-based components. These findings support the feasibility and acceptability of structured disaster-medicine education in the undergraduate curriculum while controlled studies are needed to evaluate educational effectiveness.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. BMC Medical Education, 2026 · DOI ↗