International guidelines and standards for education and training to reduce the consequences of events that may threaten the health status of a community. A report of an Open International WADEM Meeting, Brussels, Belgium, 29-31 October, 2004.

Abstract: The continued professionalization of the humanitarian workforce requires sound underpinning by appropriate educational programs.The international disaster medicine and emergency health community requested the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) develop international standards and guidelines for the education and training for disaster medicine. The Working Group of the WADEM Education Committee prepared and circulated an Issues Paper to structure input on this significant international task. Subsequently, the Working Group facilitated an Open International Meeting convened in Brussels, Belgium, 2004. The Issues Paper also was used as a framework to structure this International Meeting,which utilized case studies selected to represent the scope of disaster medicine, and prepared a meeting consensus on a framework for disaster health and for related educational programs. The two-day Brussels meeting attracted 51 participants from 19 countries, representing 21 disciplines.Participants reinforced the need to address the development of international standards and guidelines on education and training in this emerging discipline.Participants supported the view that the term Disaster Health suggested a multidisciplinary approach that is a more inclusive contemporary and appropriate term to describe this field,although there were dissenting views. The meeting formulated a consensus view in support of a framework for Disaster Health , which included: (1) primary disciplines; (2) support disciplines; (3) community response, resilience, and communication; and (4) ........