The Core Disaster Life Support (CDLS) course is the first of three competencybased courses offered by the National Disaster Life Support Foundation (NDLSF). It is
a four hour course that is nationally recognized and provides education related to
disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. This introductory course
is aimed at a broad range of audience categories, including medical first responders,
health professionals, health service providers, public health workers, and health
support personnel. It is designed to provide participants from diverse professions,
disciplines, and backgrounds with a common lexicon, vocabulary, and knowledge in
disaster related medicine and public health. The Edward Via College of Osteopathic
Medicine is a certified training center with the NDLSF and able to teach CDLS, as
well as the Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support Courses they offer.
Mean
Pre-test Scores
N
51.15 % 104
Standard
Deviation
6%
16.44 %
No response -15
Post Test Scores
88.89 % 104
7.78 %
Table 2: Descriptive statistics of pre and post test scores
14%
Airport Employee -34
35%
Hospital Clinic Employee -13
Pre-test Scores – Post Test Scores
t
df
Sig.
(2-tailed)
-23.866
103
>0.000
33%
Public Safety (EMS, Fire, Police) -36
Hospitality/Tourism Employee -6
A few unexpected occurrences provided valuable learning opportunities for
future course implementations in Punta Cana DR.
12%
Table 3: Paired t-test data between pre and post tests
Chart 1: Self reported occupational data from course participants
•Pre-printing course materials was helpful to ensure everything was ready
for students on the day of instruction. However, because these items
were unable to be shipped for fear of being delayed in customs they had
to be transported in suitcases on a commercial airline flight. Special
considerations had to be made to ensure the suitcases met airline
luggage requirements for international travel.
•Translation of course materials into Spanish was accurate, however, a
final review should be conducted by an individual familiar with the
nuances of the local Spanish dialect. In our case, the English translation
of resilience (to recover from disaster) did not convey the same meaning
as the Spanish word resilencia. The Spanish word resilencia is a false
cognate to its English counterpart and means “to revolt against.” Future
courses will use “capacidad de recuperación”.
In late 2014 the Punta Cana Foundation approached the Edward Via College of
Osteopathic Medicine with the request to provide disaster and public health related
training to the airport, public safety, and tourism workers in Punta Cana Dominican
Republic. The request arose out of a desire to better educate the workforce about
how to respond to disasters for the benefit of the residents and visitors to the
island. At the Punta Cana Foundation’s request an additional lesson about the
detection, transmission, and protection about the Ebola Virus was developed for
the training session.
Three Months Before Course
Conducted a needs assessment to tailor course for the Dominican Republic
Recruited translators to begin translating course materials to Spanish
Two Months Before Course
Began translating course materials
Opened course enrollment to potential participants
Developed additional Ebola Virus module per CDC guidelines
One Month Before Course
Reviewed translated materials
Printed custom course materials
Week of course
Traveled to Punta Cana, DR
Verified needs assessment findings
Toured Punta Cana Airport
Toured local areas, clinics, and hospitals
Interviewed public safety, airport, and tourism workers
Day of Course
Register participants
Administer pre and post course assessments
Present certificates of completion to participants
Day after course
Complete an after-action review with Punta Cana Foundation members and
provide recommendations for additional training opportunities.
Week after course
Data analysis and formal debrief of course faculty
The course was well received by all participants. The pre and post test scores
demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in mean score for all
learners. This initial course offering successfully demonstrated proof of concept
for the portability of nationally recognized disaster training from the United States
to foreign countries.
•Participants were provided a glossary of United States agencies such as
FEMA, the Red Cross, Department of Health and Human Services, and the
National Guard. This glossary provided learners with the Dominican
Republic equivalent agency if possible. If an exact match was not
available, a definition for the agencies function was provided in.
P
R
E
D
I
S
A
S
T
E
R
lanning and Practice
esilience
ducation and Training
etection
ncident Management
afety and Security
ssess Hazards
upport
riage and Treatment
vacuation
ecovery
Table 1: The PRE-DISASTER Paradigm
used in Core Disaster Life Support Course
• Describe the all-hazards approach to disaster mitigation,
preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Discuss essential components of federal, state, regional,
and community disaster health systems, including the role
of the public and private health sectors.
• Describe the elements of the PRE-DISASTER Paradigm and
their application to the management of disasters and
public health emergencies.
• Describe actions that can be taken to enhance personal
preparedness and resilience for disasters and public health
emergencies.
• Identify legal and ethical issues that impact disaster
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, including
the basic legal framework for public health.
• Describe the elements of the DISASTER Paradigm and their
application for the management of disasters and public
health emergencies.
During the after-action review with the members of the Punta Cana Foundation
future plans for additional training were discussed. This includes brining the Basic
and Advanced Disaster Life Support Courses to Punta Cana. These courses build
upon the learning objectives presented in CDLS and provide those who will be
most active in potential disasters the tools to mitigate losses and promote
resilience and recovery.
Coule PL, Mitas II JA. Core Disaster Life Support v3.0: Course Manual. United States.
American Medical Association; 2010