Nowadays, accidents and disasters are one of the most important issues facing humans. Training is an important feature in disasters and distance learning is a suitable method for education in every place and at every time. The aim of this study is to determine distance learning methods in disaster preparedness. This study was conducted to this question: what types of distance learning methods can use in disaster preparedness?”. In this study, all published English language papers, with no time limit, were extracted by the end of December 2021 through search in PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar, ISI WOS (Web of Science), and Embase. The primary search used “distance learning”, “disaster” and their MeSH terms. Quality appraisal carried out with CASP. Information in the articles including study time, study population, e‑learning methods, and type of disasters or emergencies were extracted. Based on the search, 46 studies were carried out between 2002 and 2021. The most studied target group in the studies was health professionals and the content of the courses was attributed to disaster preparedness as well as biological disasters. Regarding e‑learning methods, the most used method was ‘simulation’. At the time of disasters, including pandemics, disruption in education may be long‑term and may require overlapping response and recovery periods. And virtual education during a disaster may be rejected or endorsed by individuals or groups based on cultural, ideological, or prejudicial issues. Distance education can be used for effective disaster education in different phases of the disaster cycle, depending on the available facilities and infrastructure.
Bosak J, Dolezal L, Cerny M, Vevoda J, Vachutka J, Sevcik P. Disaster medicine education in Europe: A scoping review. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1102264. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1102264
García Dieguez M. Comment on Learning in Virtual Environments and Its Impact on Adult Learning [Internet]. Pan American Health Organization. Bibliographic Repository. Cited on 05/24/2025. Available at: https://campus.paho.org/en/repo/applied-distance-learning-methods-disaster-preparedness-systematic-review
García Dieguez M.
CEEProS Universidad Nacional del Sur
This article is particularly relevant for educators and decision-makers interested in strengthening the preparedness of health professionals for emergencies and disasters. This systematic review analyzes the current state of disaster medicine education in Europe, a topic of growing importance especially in light of the increasing frequency of natural disasters, armed conflicts, and emerging infectious disease crises. The value of the article lies in briefly synthesizing pedagogical approaches and curricular distribution, while encouraging reflection on the need to establish educational standards and common competency frameworks in this field.
The study identified 36 articles published between 2002 and 2022, highlighting a significant heterogeneity in disaster medicine training across Europe. In most cases, training is implemented ad-hoc, through isolated courses or extracurricular activities, without systematic integration into undergraduate or postgraduate programs. A lack of common criteria regarding learning objectives, core content, and competency assessment is evident.
The review points out that this topic remains largely invisible in undergraduate curricula, despite its widely recognized importance. It also highlights that most educational interventions have not undergone rigorous evaluation processes nor been published with sufficient methodological detail, which limits their reproducibility and their potential to inform educational policy decisions.
It should be noted that, although the article explores the websites of relevant institutions—which strengthens its scope—it is limited to European experiences published in English, thereby excluding all initiatives from Latin America and Spain.
- Provides examples of good practices that can be adapted to various institutional contexts.
- Highlights the need for interdisciplinary or interprofessional training and for designing locally adapted programs with a global perspective.
- Reinforces the importance of including practical components and simulations as part of learning.
- Emphasizes the need to incorporate program evaluation in educational proposals.
- Proposes the development of shared competency frameworks in the field.
- Can serve as a foundation for developing inter-institutional or regional training projects in emergency response.