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Humanitarian and Disaster Relief

Module description

This module explores the concept of disaster and major incident health preservation and its importance in humanitarian aid and relief. Real world examples will be utilised to examine a range of public health issues of global importance from a variety of perspectives, using a range of case studies relating to epidemics and the distribution of infectious diseases, including person-to-person contact and prevention. Water and air pollution will be discussed and mitigation measures to preserve life and establish safe sanitation. Concepts in security and risk mitigation that are fundamental to operating in natural or manmade disaster zones will be discussed, including safe movement and protection of the health force, hazard recognition (and avoidance) and managing hostility and conflict. Finally, the course aims to develop an understanding of optimal strategies for triage and trauma management in a humanitarian context.

Delivery is through a face-to-face intensive residential module supported by extended online resources on ELE (Exeter Learning Environment) and an environment specific residential course chosen from a range of courses provided by World Extreme Medicine.

Module aims - intentions of the module

In this module you will critically appraise the process of providing safe and effective healthcare in a range of challenging environments following major incidents. You will undertake risk assessments and appraise disease mitigation options, and the role of military or government services in setting up an EPRR (Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, and Response) chain of command. You will also learn how to assess and make contingencies for the impact of a hostile environment on the safe functioning and movement of health teams.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Critically evaluate the fundamental health challenges in an acute disaster zone.
• 2. Critically evaluate the drivers of infectious diseases following a disaster in developed and developing countries.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Critically appraise current trans-national efforts to manage emerging infectious diseases on a global scale.
• 4. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the importance of risk assessment in the delivery of humanitarian aid.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Critically appraise evidence underlying provision of care at a patient and organisational level.
• 6. Communicate ideas effectively in writing and in person to specialist and non-specialist audience.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:

• Health priorities in disaster zones
• Key concepts of public health
• Personal & Team security
• Safety in urban and rural disaster environments through hazard recognition and avoidance
• Key elements of humanitarian law
• Infectious diseases in acute humanitarian context
• Logistics of disaster relief
• Triage and acute trauma management in humanitarian context
• EPRR and Humanitarian aid
• Risk assessment
• Personal and organisational resilience
• The role of the Red Cross
• WHO UNICEF roles
• Introduction to the Sphere Charter – Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• World Health Organisation (WHO) (2024), Emergency Response Framework. Geneva. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240058064 
• The Sphere Project Handbook  (2018) https://handbook.spherestandards.org/en/sphere/#ch001
• World Health Organization (WHO) (2002), 25 Questions & Answers on Health & Human Rights. Health & Human Rights Publication Issue No. 1. Geneva. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2002/9241545690.pdf
• Leppold, C., Gibbs, L., Block, K., Reifels, L. and Quinn, P., (2022) Public health implications of multiple disaster exposures. The Lancet Public Health, 7(3), pp.e274-e286
• WHO and PAHO (2001), Health Library for Disasters. Geneva. http://helid.desastres.net/

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE –

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Arnaouti MKC, Cahill G, Baird MD, Mangurat L, Harris R, Edme LPP, Joseph MN, Worlton T, Augustin S Jr; Haiti Disaster Response – Junior Research Collaborative (HDR-JRC). Medical disaster response: A critical analysis of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 1;10:995595. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.995595. PMID: 36388301; PMCID: PMC9665839.
• Wattanawaitunechai C, Peacock SJ, Jitpratoom P. Tsunami in Thailand—disaster management in a district hospital. N Engl J Med. March 2005;352(10):962–964. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp058040
• Simon R, Teperman S. The World Trade Center attack. Lessons for disaster management. Crit Care. December 2001;5(6):318–320. doi: 10.1186/cc1060.

Key words search

Humanitarian medicine, public health, extreme medicine