Effects of Ebola Virus Disease education on student health professionals

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness. Studies have shown that healthcare professionals lack an in-depth knowledge of EVD. Countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa are beginning to emphasize the need to train healthcare professionals about EVD, but the United States still lacks formal training for healthcare students. There is little research about the effectiveness of EVD training to support this study. The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge-base and attitudes of healthcare students concerning EVD. Two-hundred sixty-nine participants (including pharmacy students, physician assistant students, and nursing students) completed a pre- and post-survey. The survey measured both knowledge and perceptions. The post-survey was administered after the intervention to measure change. The intervention was comprised of a pre-recorded lecture about EVD transmission, prevention, and treatment. All groups displayed significant changes in knowledge and perception, specifically in the areas of EVD transmission, prevention, and treatment. Pharmacy students’ attitudes increased significantly over their baseline score for all three attitude questions, whereas there were no significant changes in attitude to EVD among nurses. Physician assistant students’ attitudes changed regarding the topic of isolation. Education on EVD in pharmacy schools may provide beneficial results for students’ knowledge, and it may also help schools provide evidence to meet current standards for accreditation. This educational intervention represents an effective format that could be a useful tool to help enhance or augment knowledge for healthcare workers. This could lead to better care for patients.