Pandemic relief volunteers—increasing resilience for disasters

Abstract

Background: The corona pandemic demands new solutions from our health care system in order to expand treatment capacities in a resilient manner within a short period of time. The last stage of expansion is disaster protection, the resilience of which can also be improved by volunteers. However, these spontaneous volunteers require training in order to be integrated into the disaster relief structures. Methods: In a step-by-step process, an ad hoc expert panel developed a curriculum for pandemic relief volunteer (PRV) training. Results: The goal of PRV is to assist fully trained responders during transport and care in a makeshift hospital. The curriculum for training as a PRV comprises 16 instructional units of 45 min each on the topics of deployment, self-protection, protection of others, and direct patient care. The focus is on practical skills for which the participants can take responsibility for execution. Conclusion: The concept of the PRV is the first structured training and integration of spontaneous responders in German civil protection. It is not a substitute for fully trained full-time and voluntary staff, but can provide useful support.