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Course syllabus for

Public Health Response in Disasters, 20 credits

Hälsoinsatser vid katastrofer, 20 hp

This course syllabus is valid from spring 2020.

Please note that the course syllabus is available in the following versions:

Autumn2013 , Autumn2015 , Autumn2017 , Spring2018 , Spring2020 , Spring2021 , Spring2022 , Autumn2022

Course code: 2QA236
Course name: Public Health Response in Disasters
Credits: 20 credits
Form of Education: Higher Education, study regulation 2007
Main field of study: Public Health in Disasters
Level: Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
Grading scale: Fail (F), fail (Fx), sufficient (E), satisfactory (D), good (C), very good (B) or excellent (A)
Department: Department of Global Public Health
Decided by: Styrelsen för utbildning
Decision date: 2014-06-23
Revised by: Education committee PHS
Last revision: 2019-09-05
Course syllabus valid from: Spring 2020

Specific entry requirements

A professional degree of at least 120 credits in health care or medicine. In addition to this, work experience within one of the above mentioned fields is required (has to be certified by the employer). Alternatively a degree of at least 180 credits and work experience within a relevant field (such as aid and international organisations, certified by the employer/organisation). And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

Objectives

The aims of the course are to provide competencies, to adequately prioritize, plan, implement and monitor public health interventions in disaster relief, based on needs and risks.

Module 1
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding

explain how different health determinants influence vulnerability and a society's ability to cope with disasters.
define various types of disasters and describe how they can be prevented, as well as how their negative influence on the public health and health systems can be mitigated.

Skills and abilities

in a multistage process explain and plan how data and information about health risks and health needs can be sought, analysed and assessed in disasters.

Judgement and approach

evaluate how various types of disasters influence public health.

Module 2
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding

describe the role of health systems in disasters
describe essential health interventions in different types of disasters
explain principles of and handling of mass-casualty situations
explain the principles of evaluation health systems and of health actions at disaster actions.

Skills and abilities

plan for essential health interventions in different types of disasters
plan for epidemiological surveillance in disasters situations.

Judgement and approach

relate to disaster response systems, their potentials and weaknesses.
prioritize among different strategies intended to meet the essential public health needs in disasters.
argue for the most important components for control of infectious diseases.

Content

The course is divided in two modules:
Module 1

Global health and the global burden of disease
Health determinants and their variation at global, regional, national and local level
The indirect and direct effects of disasters on health and health systems
Assessment of public health needs in disasters

Module 2

Planning and implementation of curative and preventive public health interventions in different types of disasters and contexts
Principles for and handling of mass-casualty situations
Epidemiological surveillance in disasters
Control of infectious diseases
International systems for disaster response
Evaluation of public health response in disasters

Pre-disaster and Disaster Situations - Global Perspective, 8.0 hp

Grading scale: AF

The course module focuses on the global burden of disease and factors that determine variations in the public health with a focus on low-income countries. The course highlights and analyses general and directed health strategies intended to improve global health. The course module also focuses on health-related needs in various types of disasters and methods for analysis and assessment of public health and health-related needs in disasters.

Public Health Response in Disasters, 12.0 hp

Grading scale: AF

The part of the course follows after assessments of health-related needs in a disaster. Important fields are: Priorities and organisation of health actions, epidemiological supervision and control of infectious diseases. Specific strategies for mass-casualty situations and industrial disasters are highlighted. The module is completed with methods and principles of evaluation of health actions.

Teaching methods

Interactive lectures. Web-based assignments in groups and individual, compulsory simulation exercises and compulsory discussion seminars. The student will practice and show ability to gather and analyse information related to disasters in the simulation exercises. The student will describe health systems and describe, plan and prioritize essential health interventions in, in the simulation exercises.

Examination

The two modules will be examined individually and as a group exercise. In each module, compulsory parts are also included, where active participation is required.

Module 1.
The examination consists of an individual written exam . In addition written group assignments are included. The group assignment will also be presented and discussed in three compulsory seminars .

Module 2.
The examination consists of an individual written exam. In addition written group assignments are included. The group assignments will be presented and discussed in four compulsory seminars. One seminar includes a "peer learning-part" where the students review and give feedback on each other's work.

A student who has not passed the regular examination has a right to participate at further five examinations.

The student will receive a final grade for the whole course (A-F). The final grade is an appraisal of the results in the two individual examinations. The group assignments will be graded with Pass/Failed. In order to pass the course, the student must obtain at least grade E in the individual examins and Passed on the group assignments. In order to get a higher grade, at least one exam require the higher grade and the second exam must not be graded less than one grade below.

Compulsory participation
The course coordinator assesses if and, in that case, how absence from compulaory parts can be compensated. Before the student has participated in all compulsory parts or compensated absence in accordance with the course coordinator's instructions, the student's results for each respective part will not be registered in LADOK. Absence from a compulsory part may result in the student not being able to recoup until the next time the course is given.

Limitation of number of occasions to write the exam
The student has the right to write the exam six times. If the student has not passed the exam after four participations he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor. If the student fail all six examinations/tests, no further opportunities for examinations are given. The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is also regarded as an examination. An examination for which the student registered but did not participate in will not be counted as an examination.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of
supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Transitional provisions

Examination will be provided during a time of two years after a possible cancellation of the course. Examination can take place according to an earlier literature list during a time of one year after the date when a major renewal of the literature list has been made.

Other directives

The course will be given in English.

Course evaluation will be carried out according to the guidelines that are established by the The Committee for Higher Education. The course may not be included in a higher education qualification at the same time with the overview and passed course, whose contents completely or partly corresponds to the course content.

Literature and other teaching aids

Part 1 Required reading

Global Health : an introductory textbook Lindstrand, Ann

Lund : Studentlitteratur, 2006 - 327 s. ISBN:91-44-02198-4 LIBRIS-ID:9987549 Library search

Public health guide in emergencies

John Hopkins School of Public Health, International federation of Red Cross red Crescent Societies, 2008

Humanitarian needs assessment : the good enough guide

Rugby : Practical Action Publishing, [2014] - xi, 108 pages ISBN:9781853398636 LIBRIS-ID:18060371 Library search

Howard, Natasha; Sondorp, Egbert; Veen, Annemarie ter Conflict and health

Maidenhead, Berkshire, England : McGraw Hill/Open University Press, 2012. - xvii, 197 pages ISBN:9780335243792 (pbk.) LIBRIS-ID:18062121 Library search

Chan, Emily Ying Yang Public health humanitarian responses to natural disasters

Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2017 - 259 pages ISBN:9781138953680 LIBRIS-ID:20113522 Library search

Part 2 Required reading

Beck, Tony Evaluating humanitarian action using the OECD-DAC criteria An ALNAP guide for humanitarian agencies

ALNAP, Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance, 2006

Checchi, Gayer, Freeman Grais and Mills Public health in crisis- affected populations A practical guide for decision-makers

Humanitarian Practice Network at ODI , HPN, 2007

Connolly, M. A. Communicable disease control in emergencies : a field manual

Geneva : World Health Organization, c2005. - vii, 295 p. ISBN:92-4-154616-6 LIBRIS-ID:10160940 Library search

Handbook for emergencies, 3d edition