Adapting WHO rapid response teams advanced training program to Saudi Arabia’s public health needs: a systematic process
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objectives
To enhance the emergency response preparedness of public health professionals in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization Rapid Response Team Advanced Training Package (WHO RRT ATP) was adapted. It was designed to align with local cultural and operational contexts.
Methods
A 2-day workshop was conducted involving experts who reviewed and modified the adapted WHO RRT ATP training materials. The process was structured into 7 phases: needs assessment, stakeholder analysis, cultural tailoring, content adaptation, module selection, implementation planning, and evaluation framework development.
Results
Key challenges revealed included inadequate hospital coordination, shortage of trained personnel and medical services, and insufficient knowledge of disease transmission. Core training modules were adapted, and supplementary materials were reviewed. Key considerations included addressing existing gaps, cultural sensitivity, and current outbreak trends in KSA. Participants’ feedback showed high satisfaction, with 86.7% of participants providing a mean rating of 4.77 on day 1 and 80% of participants giving an average rating of 4.67 on day 2 on a Likert scale of 1-5.
Conclusions
Cultural and country needs were key factors in the workshop’s successful outcomes. The adapted training program is anticipated to significantly enhance the preparedness of health care professionals in KSA to manage public health emergencies.
To enhance the emergency response preparedness of public health professionals in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization Rapid Response Team Advanced Training Package (WHO RRT ATP) was adapted. It was designed to align with local cultural and operational contexts.
Methods
A 2-day workshop was conducted involving experts who reviewed and modified the adapted WHO RRT ATP training materials. The process was structured into 7 phases: needs assessment, stakeholder analysis, cultural tailoring, content adaptation, module selection, implementation planning, and evaluation framework development.
Results
Key challenges revealed included inadequate hospital coordination, shortage of trained personnel and medical services, and insufficient knowledge of disease transmission. Core training modules were adapted, and supplementary materials were reviewed. Key considerations included addressing existing gaps, cultural sensitivity, and current outbreak trends in KSA. Participants’ feedback showed high satisfaction, with 86.7% of participants providing a mean rating of 4.77 on day 1 and 80% of participants giving an average rating of 4.67 on day 2 on a Likert scale of 1-5.
Conclusions
Cultural and country needs were key factors in the workshop’s successful outcomes. The adapted training program is anticipated to significantly enhance the preparedness of health care professionals in KSA to manage public health emergencies.
Date Issued
2025-01-01
Date Acceptance
2025-01-14
Citation
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2025, 19
ISSN
1938-744X
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Journal / Book Title
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Volume
19
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike licence (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the same Creative Commons licence is used to distribute the re-used or adapted article and the original article is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained prior to any commercial use.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39962861
PII: S1935789325000278
Subjects
RRT
Saudi Arabia
adaptation
advanced training package
emergency preparedness
Humans
World Health Organization
Public Health
Needs Assessment
Education
Disaster Planning
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
e36
Date Publish Online
2025-02-18