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"First Contact, First Response"
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AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., announces the details of "First Contact, First Response" at a Capitol Hill press conference, attended by Timothy T. Flaherty, M.D., chair of the American Medical Association, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). |
In an unprecedented initiative to prepare health care professionals to respond to the new reality of bioterrorism and the significant public health threat it poses, the AAMC has spearheaded a new initiative called "First Contact, First Response." This national effort will recommend curricula to medical schools and make available practical learning tools to medical students, residents, and physicians to enable them to respond appropriately to possible terrorist attacks caused by biological agents or chemical or radiation exposure.
The AAMC plan was announced Nov. 1 at a Capitol Hill press conference attended by Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), as well as representatives of the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, and the American Public Health Association. "We know that the health care work force in the United States is well prepared to respond to the kind of attacks that result in mass casualties," said AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D. "Decades of experience with natural disasters - floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes - have prepared us to deal with resulting widespread physical trauma. But there is a good deal more we need to do to become as well prepared to deal with bioterrorist attacks."
Such attacks, note Sens. Frist and Kennedy, make the skills of health care professionals critical to national defense. "A strong front-line defense against bioterrorism begins with doctors, nurses, and clinicians who are well-equipped, prepared, and ready to respond to a biological attack," affirmed Sen. Frist at the press conference. "A key part of that response is to train health professionals to recognize the symptoms of a bioterrorist attack so prompt action can be taken to treat victims and prevent the spread of disease," added Sen. Kennedy.
Noting the ambitious goals of "First Contact, First Response," Timothy T. Flaherty, M.D., chair of the American Medical Association, says that America's physicians are up to the challenge. "If there is a bright side to this situation, it is that physicians are accustomed to the evolving nature of medicine," said Dr. Flaherty. "Physicians and other health care workers enter medicine with a deep realization that it's a profession of lifelong learning."
The creation of "First Contact, First Response" was already underway last October when Sen. Frist sent a letter to all 125 medical school deans that invited the AAMC to take the necessary steps to begin a national dialogue about how best to educate and prepare health care professionals for the threat of bioterrorism.
The initiative consists of four principal components targeting medical school students, residents, practicing physicians, and a variety of other health care professionals via curricular recommendations and educational materials as well as collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). To fulfill the program's guiding principles of identifying relevant domains of learning and targeting strategies to the level of learners, a panel of experts on bioterrorism and medical education will convene this month to articulate learning objectives appropriate for the education of medical students and to recommend educational strategies that medical schools might adopt to ensure students can meet stated objectives.
According to Deborah Danoff, M.D., associate vice president in the AAMC Division of Medical Education, the panel will release a report in approximately six to nine months. In the more immediate future, the AAMC will continue to develop a master list of information and resources from medical schools, teaching hospitals, and medical organizations to consolidate information and facilitate inter-institutional activities.
Resident education is the target of the second component of the AAMC's bioterrorism initiative. The same panel on medical school education will assist medical schools and teaching hospitals that sponsor residency programs to identify and integrate appropriate course work for resident physicians on how to treat victims of a bioterrorist attack.
Educational materials made available by the AAMC will assist institutions in implementing this component.
The AAMC continues to expand its ability to reach practicing physicians by collaborating with the CDC in the production of live satellite and Web broadcasts on topics addressing clinical responses to bioterrorist attacks. "Under the auspices of its cooperative agreement with the CDC, the AAMC has served as an advisor and consultant in the development of these programs, which use a mix of media strategies to reach the broadest possible audience," said Dr. Danoff. "Topics covered thus far include epidemiology and infection control, the clinical diagnosis and management of anthrax, communication risks, and clinical responses to smallpox." Dr. Danoff added that other opportunities to join forces with CDC include a program currently underway to establish regional public health education centers that will facilitate the education of medical students in the tenets of public health.
The AAMC is also working with the spectrum of medical and scientific organizations to increase collaboration. As part of this effort, the AAMC convened a Nov. 28 meeting to explore how organizations can join together in the fight against bioterrorism. Sen. Frist, who attended the meeting, recognized the collective work of its participants and stated, "The key to any response is coordination, which is in the power of this room."
Upon listening to the attending organizations describe the bioterrorist-related information they have produced for their constituents, Dr. Cohen noted at the meeting's conclusion that many organizations appear to be replicating one another's efforts. He suggested the establishment of a single Web portal where physicians could go to access the credible information being published by each organization. "Perhaps we can find a way to leverage our capabilities in a way that is less duplicative and more comprehensive," he concluded. That suggestion, among others aimed at consolidating educational strategies, is under consideration by the group, which continues to stay in touch and build on the work of Nov. 28.
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