Approach to disasters by medical students in a disaster-affected region: Education and awareness

This study aims to investigate the awareness of medical students, who are educated in regions that have experienced significant destruction from disasters such as earthquakes, towards disasters, the roles they can assume during disaster situations, and their attitudes towards disaster medicine. This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2023 and January 2024 at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Faculty of Medicine, involving medical students aged 18 years and older. A structured, 20-item questionnaire was administered to collect demographic information, previous disaster experiences, levels of disaster awareness, and attitudes toward disaster medicine. Descriptive statistics were used for data presentation, and the Chi-square test was applied for categorical comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. A total of 172 students participated in the study. Among these participants, 80.2% (n=138) stated that they lacked sufficient knowledge regarding the appropriate actions to take during a disaster, and 30.2% (n=52) reported not having received adequate training in disaster preparedness. Among students with previous natural disaster experience, it was observed that such experiences did not significantly impact their knowledge and attitudes towards disaster management (p=0.434). Students who had received training were observed to have greater confidence in providing medical support during disasters (p=0.006). In conclusion, medical students remain a highly motivated but underprepared group in terms of disaster readiness. It is therefore imperative to strengthen their knowledge and skills in disaster management and intervention. Increasing the emphasis on disaster preparedness within medical education programs can better equip students for future disasters and ultimately enhance the overall resilience of the community.