Disaster Preparedness Competencies in Undergraduate Healthcare Education: A Systematic Review

Muneera Ali Abdullah, Youmna Alalami, Banan Mukhalalati, Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim

Abstract

Background: Disasters pose substantial and growing challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, requiring a workforce adequately prepared to respond in complex, resource‑constrained environments. Despite the critical role of healthcare professionals in disaster response, existing evidence consistently indicates suboptimal preparedness among students and graduates. One contributing factor is the absence of clearly defined and consistently applied teaching competencies to guide disaster preparedness education across healthcare curricula.
Methods: An integrative systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidance to identify teaching competencies used in disaster preparedness education for healthcare students. A comprehensive search of seven electronic databases (Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ERIC, ProQuest, and ResearchGate) was undertaken for English‑language studies published between January 2013 and January 2023. Database‑specific search strategies were applied, and reference management and screening were performed using EndNote 20 and Rayyan®. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and appraised methodological quality using design‑appropriate tools. A third reviewer validated the whole process. Qualitative content analysis was employed to synthesize findings across heterogeneous study designs.
Results: Of 5,372 records screened, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Across these studies, 24 distinct disaster preparedness competencies were identified and classified into three educational domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Cognitive competencies—particularly disaster‑related knowledge and situational understanding—were most frequently assessed, followed by affective competencies such as confidence and willingness to participate. Psychomotor competencies, including communication, teamwork, triage, and technical performance, were primarily evaluated through simulation‑ and drill‑based interventions. All included studies reported significant improvement in at least one competency following educational interventions. However, most studies focused on nursing students and were conducted in Asian settings, with limited representation of interprofessional cohorts and regions bearing high disaster burdens.
Conclusions: This review identifies a broad yet uneven set of competencies underpinning disaster preparedness education for healthcare students, with a strong emphasis on cognitive outcomes and comparatively limited attention to affective and psychomotor domains. Greater integration of competency‑based, interprofessional, and context‑sensitive educational approaches is needed to enhance curriculum transferability and global relevance. Future research should prioritize skills‑based training, interprofessional education, and evidence generation from underrepresented regions to strengthen disaster preparedness education worldwide.

 

Keywords: healthcare students, disaster preparedness, disaster medicine, competencies, education.

 

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.6.8


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