Monash University

Leader(s): Professor Frank Archer

Offered

Alfred Hospital First semester 2009 (Flexible)

Synopsis

This is a key unit within the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Health stream of the Graduate Certificate/Graduate Diploma/Master of Emergency Health which will promote the development of a broad and critical conceptual and practical understanding of mass gatherings health care. The unit will define mass gatherings and explore historical trends and influences of these common and complex events from both national and international perspectives. These influences, combined with an exploration of the literature, will be used to identify relevant standards and guidelines, which have evolved in recent years to guide policy and practice for mass gatherings health care. The unit will explore the infrastructure and inter-agency involvement and use a disaster health framework with a risk management approach, to develop the principles for planning, management/response and recovery from mass gatherings events. These principles will then be applied to a selected range of representative settings, with an emphasis on the interests of students within the unit, to develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes in improving their capacity in planning and managing mass gatherings health care. The unit will conclude with examining the implication of these principles for both community and responder education and identifying research opportunities in the field of mass gatherings health care.

Objectives

By the completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Define mass gatherings;
2. Outline the historical trends and influences leading to the introduction of standards and guidelines for mass gatherings health care in Australia, UK and USA;
3. Evaluate the current literature with respect to mass gatherings health care and apply to the development of evidence-based policy and practice for mass gatherings health care;
4. Describe the general epidemiology of mass gatherings health care, with a focus on the profile in students geographic region;
5. Using an emergency preparedness and disaster health framework, a risk assessment and management approach, and a multi-disciplinary perspective, list the principles of preparedness (pre-event), response/management (event) and recovery (post event) for mass gatherings incidents;
6. Evaluate the State Health Emergency Response Plan, and associated emergency

management plans, in mass gatherings health care settings such as closed/controlled mass gatherings, eg. a major sporting venue; open/controlled mass gatherings, eg. music festival; and, open/less controlled mass gatherings, eg. community New Year's Eve celebrations;

7. Identify education requirements and research opportunities for the field of mass gatherings health care.

Assessment

3 part assignment (2,500 words)(45%)
Assignment (2,500- 3,000 words)(55%)

Contact hours

On-campus students:
Students are required to spend, on average, 12 hours per week on this unit
across the semester (156 hours in total) working through self-directed learning materials, participating in tutorials through MUSO and in preparation of unit assessment tasks. Within this total, students are also required to attend a 3 day (24 hours) on-campus intensive.

Off-campus students:
Students are required to spend, on average, 12 hours per week on this unit
across the semester (156 hours in total) working through self-directed learning materials, participating in tutorials through MUSO and in preparation of unit assessment tasks.

Prerequisites

MDM4010