In this era of increasingly fragile hospital systems, major emergency preparation is firmly being placed under the spotlight. The response to major emergencies requires the mobiliZation of numerous resources to ensure an effective, coordinated response. Yet, studies confirm a global deficit in the knowledge and skills of staff responding to these events in Ireland. Non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) provide a useful and necessary surge response during these events, but currently there are no training programs specifically focused on their major emergency training requirements. The aim of this research was to define the essential elements of a focused curriculum for non-consultant hospital doctors responding to a major emergency (ME).

A two-step process was employed. Initially, a comprehensive ME competency set was compiled from relevant literature, consulting field-specific experts and from current ME training programs. A sample of experts was paneled from several acute hospitals in Ireland using purposive and snowball recruitment. A modified Delphi process, using on-line surveys, was utilized to identify the competencies deemed essential for NCHDs responding to an ME event.

Three Delphi rounds were required to complete this study. Of the 116 initial survey items, 68 competencies were confirmed as essential NCHD competencies, a total reduction of 40%. A 70% consensus rate was applied to 71 survey items in the final round, resulting in an agreement in 68 competencies (96%). A preponderance of the rejected competencies were specific to managerial and administrative tasks, whilst many retained competencies related to direct clinical care.

This study has defined the essential elements of a curriculum for NCHD doctors responding to a major emergency in Ireland, using the Delphi methodology. This derived competency set should be useful to national bodies, regional organizations, and hospital stakeholders to allow the creation of bespoke NCHD major emergency training programs.