Emergency department preparedness trainings in New York State: a needs assessment.

An assessment of preparedness training of emergency department (ED) staff in many upstate New York hospitals was carried out using an institutional review board-approved questionnaire. Several aspects of training such as content, quality, quantity, methodology, and skills obtained as a result of trainings were examined. The results suggest that respondents in upstate New York would like to see more training on specific topics of information (chemical and radiological concerns) and the utilization of new technologies, such as on-line courses, to optimize time commitments.

Development of an on-line bioterrorism preparedness course.

To reach a large audience of public health workers and others interested in learning more about bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, an on-line, Web-based, certificated course entitled "Terrorism, Preparedness and Public Health: An Introduction" was planned, developed, and implemented. Interactivity and other user-friendly devices helped it gain acceptance. To date (May 2005), more than 6,000 people from all 50 states and some foreign countries have registered for the course, and about 2,400 have passed an exam for a certificate of completion. We believe the success of this course is related to the strength and accuracy of the content and its historical perspective; to the quality of the technical development, including multiple levels of interactivity, ease of use, and a printed completion certificate; and to the use of real case studies and the lack of dramatic overstatement.