An Efficient Model for Designing Medical Countermeasure Just-in-Time Training During Public Health Emergencies.

Abstract

Rapidly training numerous staff and volunteers to distribute and dispense medical countermeasures is challenging because of limited resources and evolving information during public health emergencies. The Applied Learning and Development Team within the Division of State and Local Readiness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposes just-in-time training (JITT) templates that can be rapidly customized and implemented early in any public health emergency. The proposed template model aligns with modular training design research to increase relevance and rapid deployment of training. Two case studies are described to demonstrate the potential for training templates to support medical countermeasure responses: (1) customization and implementation of a JITT to prepare staff to work on a CDC task force during the 2016-2017 Zika virus response and (2) a new modular, customizable course to teach the basics about working at a point-of-dispensing site. Flexible JITT templates in these cases reduce the burden on emergency planners and trainers, allowing for rapidly developed, customized training viable for all emergency responses.