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The Commission recognizes that ‘the successful efforts on training of field epidemiologists at EU level in recent years need to be complemented by actions involving also other public health groups' and specifically calls for capacity building through the development of ‘ training programmes (e.g.: train the trainers programmes) and training material relevant to public health involving a variety of specialist services dealing with laboratory issues, first line clinical diagnosis issues, infection control, and emergency management'. The ETIDE project (European Training for Infectious Disease Emergencies) seeks specifically to meet this requirement in relation to the recognition and management of infectious disease emergencies (IDEs), whether natural, accidental, or deliberate in origin, by front line health professionals in emergency care (including nurses and other HCW) and local laboratories, whose level of awareness, and rapidity and competence in response will govern the outcome of an infectious disease emergency.
ETIDE experts will then use the agreed training curriculum as the basis for the development of a European course in IDEM to train-the-trainers of front-line emergency care professionals (including physicians, nurses, other HCW and laboratorians) from EU member states, candidate countries and EEA/EFTA countries.
The train-the-trainers course will consist of an interdisciplinary foundation module, suitable for the integrated training of emergency physicians, nurses and other HCW and laboratorians, augmented by three specialist training modules, for emergency physicians, nurses and other HCW, and laboratorians, and an interdisciplinary scenario module. In the latter, the three groups will jointly practice the skills learned in the foundation and specialist course components, learning how to plan, implement and evaluate exercises, team-working skills, and to recognise the importance of a cohesive and integrated response to IDEs.
Each module will be a mix of didactic teaching (which will be disseminated more widely in CD format, and on-line through the ETIDE website), practical interactive training, and walk through scenarios. The course will be English; using a common lexicon, and course content will take account of regional differences in culture and health service provision.
The complete train-the-trainers course will be taught onsite, in English, to ‘ trainee' trainers from EU member countries, candidate countries, and EEA/EFTA countries at INMI, Rome, by ETIDE experts and staff of INMI. ‘ Trainee' trainers will be selected according to criteria developed and agreed by ETIDE experts and partner institutions; suitable candidates will be identified through the Commission, associated networks, ETIDE partners, and national health authorities. Countries will be eligible to send up to three ‘ trainee' trainers (only one of whom may be a physician) to an on-site course. The onsite course will be held four times during the project and will have places for physicians, nurses and other HCW, and laboratorians. By teaching the course onsite at INMI, it will be possible to take advantage of INMI's state of the art facilities for emergency containment, and clinical and laboratory diagnosis of high threat pathogens, to teach trainees in a condition of safety, and, by exposing trainees to CL4/3 clinical and laboratory facilities, to reinforce good practice of biosafety and infection control. Trainees and teachers will evaluate each onsite course, and the course content will be revised appropriately. All trainees will be formally assessed at the start and end of their course; successful trainees will be eligible to become part of a developing ETIDE network of certificated EU trainers in infectious disease emergency management. Trainees who have completed the course should be well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to train emergency care professionals in their own countries in IDEM.
The finalised and evaluated course content will be made more widely available to other appropriate institutions and individuals through the ETIDE website and through distribution of the modules in CD format.
The project will be managed by the project leader, and coordination team, to be based at INMI, Rome, in partnership with a specialty board and national officials. |
