Population health can be defined as "the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group" (Kindig & Stoddart, 2003, p. 380). Populations can be identified by geographic regions, social determinants of health, health outcomes, and genetic influences.
Optimizing population health to improve health outcomes through strengthening policy and practice is a goal of Healthy People 2020 (US Department of Health and Human Services [US DHHS], 2011). To improve health, nurses need to understand and apply prevention and population health principles, practice with interprofessional teams, and link with other programs and services that affect health (Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, 2015).
Like other countries, the United States faces many threats with the potential for large-scale health consequences, including disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. In the years since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, recognition of the need for disaster preparedness has increased. As a result, Healthy People 2020 has added preparedness as an objective. Preparedness involves governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, communities, and individuals working together to improve the nation's ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a major health incident (US DHHS, 2011).
Nursing education can play a vital role in meeting this Healthy People 2020 objective through the inclusion of emergency preparedness education in the nursing curriculum. This article reviews the stages of development of emergency preparedness education in a prelicensure BSN program in a small Midwestern private college. We address collaborative efforts with the American Red Cross (ARC) and describe how we incorporated objectives of Healthy People 2020 (US DHHS, 2011) and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses [QSEN], 2008). initiative into the curriculum. We also focused on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008) Essential VII, which addresses clinical prevention and population health that encompasses health promotion and disease and injury prevention across the lifespan.
WORKING WITH THE RED CROSS
In critically evaluating our community health curriculum, we assessed our program through the lens of community organizations that protect and promote the health of the community by responding effectively to health-related issues. With the new curricula, we focused on emergency preparedness as a competency for nursing students. This focus led us to partner with the local ARC chapter to meet our mutual needs. Our aim was to enhance our students' clinical experiences by incorporating the Healthy People 2020 goal of optimizing population health through emergency preparedness education.
Our aim blended well with the mission of the ARC (2015a) to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. The meeting with our local ARC chapter stimulated an innovative partnership with the Pillowcase Project. This project, sponsored by the Walt Disney Company, is an emergency preparedness education program for children in grades 3 to 5 that teaches personal and family preparedness, local hazards, and basic coping skills. The program leads students through a "learn, practice, share" framework to engage them in emergency preparedness. Presentations are customized to focus on a hazard that is important and relevant to the local community (ARC, 2015b).
In redesigning the course to incorporate preparedness education, we changed our course objectives to include disaster preparedness education. The course objective states that students will apply knowledge of population level assessment and intervention strategies to communities of need in preventing and reacting to disaster situations. Two unit objectives align with the emergency preparedness course objective: 1) Demonstrate knowledge of emergency preparedness through preparing, training, and educating on a population level. 2) Identify common disaster situations and their implications for local, national, and international populations. The course content was modified to include six didactic hours dedicated to disaster preparedness and education.
PILLOWCASE PROJECT
In preparation for the Pillowcase Project, we completed the requirements derived from the ARC to become emergency preparedness educators, allowing us to train students and nursing faculty. We recruited nurse faculty who were interested in completing the training and willing to assist in emergency preparedness education with nursing students. The faculty members completed a volunteer application and the first module on their own prior to participating in a four-hour training and teach-back session.
To prepare the nursing students, we met with them prior to the start of the semester with instructions on completing the volunteer application. This preparation facilitated the process of completing the Pillowcase Project module 1, a two-hour interactive educational training session, during the first week of class. During the second week, nursing students completed the four-hour training and teach-back session that faculty had completed. Following the completion of the six hours of emergency preparedness training, nurse faculty and nursing students received certification as presenters of the Pillowcase Project. They committed to participate in four presentations to children in elementary schools in our local and surrounding communities.
The curriculum change included incorporation of the QSEN domains of Patient-Centered Care and Teamwork and Collaboration. Patient-Centered Care was demonstrated by preparing elementary school children with the appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills to respond effectively to natural disasters and home fires and educate their families and others in the community about emergency preparedness. The second domain, Teamwork and Collaboration, was demonstrated by requiring the nursing students to collaborate with nursing faculty and administration, representatives from the ARC, student peers, elementary school principals, classroom teachers, and the school-aged children.
The AACN (2008) Essential VII is embedded in the course and unit objectives and associated course content. The Pillowcase Project addresses health promotion that assists individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations to prepare for and minimize the health consequences of natural disasters and home fires. Educational sessions include discussion on identifying the various roles a nurse can play in disaster situations and implications for local, state, and international populations.
The implementation of The Pillowcase Project in our curriculum can serve as a prototype for other prelicensure baccalaureate nursing programs. Incorporation of emergency preparedness education into curricula provides a meaningful, hands-on, and educational clinical experience. Inclusion of emergency preparedness education increases community collaboration, fulfills an important need in the community, and complies with AACN and QSEN standards. Upon graduation, our nursing students will be better suited to play a vital role in planning for, participating in, responding to, and implementing services to populations affected by disasters.
REFERENCES