WBF-2019 core research cluster of disaster science planning session as disaster preparedness: Participation in a training program for conductor-type disaster healthcare personnel

Introduction: Health professionals and support staff need to be prepared for disasters and know how to respond. This study aimed to examine a one-day “Conductor-type disaster healthcare management personnel” training course and its effect among healthcare professionals. Tohoku University and Fukushima Medical University are experi-enced in disaster response preparedness and they con-ducted the one-day course comprising multiple sessions at the World Bosai Forum-2019 (WBF-2019). Method: The course introduced the recent activities of four groups: the Practical Disaster Risk Reduction Research Group; the Natural Science Research Group; the Disaster Humanities Research Group; and the Disaster Medicine Research Group. Unifying four scientific areas based on the theory of the disaster cycle, the research field “disaster science” has been created through interdisciplinary cooperation. The participants completed reports, which were then an-alyzed using the KJ method. Discussion: The program participants wanted to gain practical knowledge about disasters and have a multifaceted perspective on disaster response. Participants who attended other sessions had an interest in comparing their training with the training provided by other sessions on disaster preparedness. Comparisons included determining the effectiveness of high-level disaster medical preparations from a multilateral viewpoint and involving an interdisciplinary research team in disaster medical preparations to prepare for future disaster events. Conclusion: The participants identified that interdisciplinary activities lead to an improvement in knowl-edge, skills, or attitudes toward disaster preparedness. There needs to be a greater focus on disaster medicine care teams, including research on both past and future disasters.