Construction of a practical disaster prevention drill including the operation of temporary disaster shelters and rescue centers at the university and application in disaster medical education

Abstract

Setsunan University Hirakata Campus introduced a practical disaster drill to the undergraduate pharmacy education in correspondence to the 2013 revised model core curriculum’s addition of disaster medical care objectives. The goal was to improve the first response after a great earthquake disaster. The drill included firefighting for damage minimization, evacuation/rescue of residents in neighboring areas, and information transmission on campus. An anonymous questionnaire was given to the students and faculty using Google Forms for training evaluation and improvement and to compare the two groups in the necessity of training and education for the time of disaster. The results showed that the current students tended to be more active in their disaster responses. Students and faculty’s cooperation in disaster prevention drills and simulated experiences modeled their roles in a disaster and demonstrated possible activities they may have to respond to in a real disaster situation.