When the diagnosis is disaster: Ethics and human rights

The quality of disaster response is impacted by the quality of training and education of professionals. In contemporary society, where disaster frequency is increasing, and threats such as avian flu hold the potential to impact the wolrd irrespective of borders, responders need to be trainined not only in the mechanics of safety, triage and treatment, but also working among people who hold customs and traditions very different from our own. This presentation examines the following questions: What is essential content in disaster education? At what level of practice should such education ideally occur? Of special emphasis are issues related to ethics and human rights protections.

This presentation was given at the annual meeting of the International Council of Nurses in Yokohama, Japan. 2007