Abstract
【Background】 Undergraduate students of medical universities have made various contributions in previous major disasters. However, it is not sufficiently clear how interested undergraduate students of medical and dental universities are in medical volunteer activities during times of disasters, what they are willing to be responsible for at the disaster setting, and what their support needs are in their activities. 【Purpose】 This study’s objective is to clarify undergraduate medical and dental science students’ interest in medical volunteer activities in times of disasters and the support needs in their activities. 【Methods】 We conducted an online survey of students’ interest in medical volunteer activities during times of disasters and the support needs in their activities at Tokyo Medical and Dental University from January to March 2015. Participants were recruited by an invitation e-mail for the survey from the researchers and asked to respond to the questionnaire designed with a selection formula and free responses, including respondents’ attributes, previous disaster-stricken experiences, volunteer experiences, interest in disaster medical volunteer activities during times of disaster, willingness to participate in activities at their own university campus if their hospital was affected by a major disaster, types of volunteer activities that students wish to engage in, reasons for not wanting to participate in medical volunteer activities during times of disasters, and support needs in their activities from the university. 【Results】 178 students responded to the survey (20.2% response rate). Of these respondents, 89.9% had an interest in medical volunteer activities during times of disasters. The greatest motivator for this interest was disaster-related news coverage. Furthermore, 95% of respondents wished to participate in activities if medical activities were underway when their own hospital was affected. Activities in which students wished to engage included mainly transporting goods, monitoring disaster victims, and assisting with consultations. Student expectations of their university included providing relief scenario simulations, faculty leadership during activities, enhancing disaster-related classes, and establishing an on-campus volunteer registration. 【Conclusion】 Several students were interested in medical volunteer activities during times of disasters. This survey’s findings suggest needs to provide opportunities for students to learn about and be trained in disaster medicine, and to establish a support system, including safety measures.
