In response to the global upward trend of humanitarian emergencies, the humanitarian health workforce has grown substantially in the last decades. Still, humanitarian education and training programs are limited in availability, geographical locations, and teaching methods, and are too expensive for local respondents. To address these gaps, an e-learning tool for humanitarian public health has been developed and evaluated.

Action research was used to develop the e-Learning tool. Rapid prototyping–a modified analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model, was used to identify the content and instructional design. This iterative process involved consultations and feedback from public health and disaster medicine instructors and students at different levels and training programs from within and outside CRIMEDIM. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative data were appropriately summarized. Pre/post-test change in knowledge score was tested with paired t-test.

Although different levels of training are needed, targeting health professionals at the entry-level in the humanitarian field is identified as a priority. Scenario-based e-Simulation covers health needs assessment, essential health services, communicable diseases standards, and the health system was developed and evaluated. Trainees were highly satisfied by the clear objectives, the realism of the simulated scenarios, quizzes, and interactivity. In the 1-7 numerical scale, the median for overall experience satisfaction was 6.3 (IQR=5.3-7, N=35). The mean of the post-test score was 7.71, which was significantly higher than the mean of the pre-test score of 5.88. The large effect size of 1.179 indicates the training effectiveness. Poor internet was identified as a potential barrier to delivering the training.

This participatory study resulted in the development of effective Scenario-based e-Simulation. Offline mode of training will be adapted for trainees with poor internet connection settings. Successful factors in instructional design will be used to inform the development of advanced training in the field.