Implementation of an Awareness Level Training to Prepare the Workforce for Future Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Details

• Personal Author:
  Carreón T ; Fulk F ; Nabors L ; Workman B
• Description:
  Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for workforce awareness-level training for infectious disease outbreaks. A training program was created and evaluated to provide strategies for emergency preparedness as well as worker health and safety during a disease outbreak. Methods: Participants (N = 292) completed instructor-led synchronous online training modules between January 2022 and February 2023. Training covered 5 areas: vaccine awareness, infectious disease transmission and prevention, pandemic awareness, and inapparent infections, as well as workplace controls to reduce or remove hazards. Participants completed a survey before and after training to assess knowledge change in the five areas. Chi-square analyses assessed how predictors were related to knowledge change. Results: Overall, an increase in knowledge was observed between pre- (80.9%) and post-training (92.7%). Participants from small businesses, with less work experience, and in non-health care roles were under-informed. Knowledge of disease transmission and prevention improved for non-health care professions and workers with less experience. All participants gained knowledge in identifying and ranking safeguards to protect workers from injuries and illness at job sites. Conclusions: Training improved employee knowledge about safe work practices and pandemic preparedness. Studies should continue to evaluate the effectiveness of preparedness training to prepare the workforce for infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Disaster Planning Emergencies Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Awareness Level Training COVID-19 Disease Outbreaks Disease Prevention Disease Transmission Education Public Health Professionals Emergency Preparedness Infectious Diseases Safety Education Training Effectiveness Vaccines

  More +
• ISSN:
  1935-7893
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  WTCHP - World Trade Center Health Program
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  18
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069202
• Citation:
  Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2024 Jan; 18:e9
• Contact Point Address:
  Brandon Workman, Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
• Email:
  brandon.workman@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4e7dd34a45cddd61583408fa7e83f9fe77d36c284df3276f7a224d2f7d55e6d05ac61ca4f97b97c10757a5e6f21beee9741724fac23f22e02d5a5144997cc776
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207728/cdc_207728_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 147.17 KB ]