CAS Medicines and Medical Devices in Emergency and Disaster 2020
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Information
Period
February 2020 - June 2021Language
EnglishFormat
On-site – switch over to online-learning if requiredRegistration
Registration deadline
30 January 2020Fees:
CHF 3'500 for the complete programme
CHF 750 per module
Objectives
- Integrate the basics of pharmaceutical crisis leadership and management
- Acquire extensive knowledge on the logistics, use and management of medicines and medical devices in emergency and disaster situations
- Apply this knowledge to a professional environment for the benefit of patients
- Exercise interprofessional collaboration in emergency and disaster contexts
- Share experiences with colleagues working in different environments and understand their respective issues related to therapeutic products (ambulatory, hospital, industrial, administrative, humanitarian and military)
Audience
Learning outcomes
- Obtain specialized and multidisciplinary knowledge on drugs and medical devices used in emergency and disaster
- Transfer the knowledge learned in the own professional field and evaluate the results
- Be able to analyse, judge, document and provide grounded justification to complex pharmaceutical issues within new and unfamiliar contexts of health crisis
- Respond to other arguments and develop, justify and negotiate alternative solutions regarding the supply of medicines and medical devices during a health crisis (including appropriate pharmaceutical production on site)
- Become familiar with their areas of expertise and professional fields and be able to independently process, evaluate and integrate relevant knowledge on drugs and medical devices
Programme
6 modules
- Context, Conduct and Health Organization in Crisis
- Use of Drugs and Medical Devices in Emergency Situations, Part I: Theoretical background
- Use of Medicines and Medical Devices in Emergency Situations, Part II: practical applications
- CBRN Threats: Toxicology, Antidote Use and Special Risk Management
- Biological Risk Management in Health Care
- Logistics and Pharmaceutical Production in Disaster and Extraordinary Situation
Portfolio Thesis
Director(s)
Prof. Pascal BONNABRY, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva
Coordinator(s)
Partnership

In this context, as well as in daily emergencies in (pre-)hospital and hospital settings and in the humanitarian context, the role of drugs and medical devices is obvious in treating victims and guaranteeing the survival of most individuals. In this respect, specific pharmaceutical and pharmacological knowledge but also sense of priorities are essential for every health professional involved in emergency and disaster situations.
Thus, the overall objective of this CAS is to provide a recognized interprofessional postgraduate university training in emergency and disaster pharmacy. This will make it possible to transmit new or lacking skills to qualified pharmacists, but also to physicians and paramedics and other health professionals, and thus strengthen their qualification in this specific field.
Date(s)
Location
Description
- Establish and use a link between risks, threats and benefits appropriate to the crisis situations
- Define and understand emergency and disaster medicine and pharmacy
- Explain the principles of health crisis management
- Describe the need for therapeutic products in a health crisis situation and their amount as defined daily doses per patient
- Differentiate the roles of health professionals and their complementarity in the context of disaster medicine
Date(s)
Location
Description
- Describe clinical situations and therapeutic needs in crisis situations
- Illustrate the specificities of therapeutic products used during crisis situations and of their logistic management
- Develop minimum standards to be applied in crisis situations (protocols, kits, etc.)
- Construct interdisciplinary collaboration based on strengths and knowledge of each professional in crisis situations
Date(s)
Location
Description
- Determine therapeutic needs in practice according to different clinical situations
- Experience specificities of therapeutic products used during crisis situations
- Apply the minimum standards to be respected in crisis situations (protocols, kits, etc.)
- Exercise practically multidisciplinary collaboration in crisis
Date(s)
Location
Description
AHLS-Provider course, certificate is internationally approved
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Identify Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) risks
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Know the principles of self-protection and protection of the patient and the basics of decontamination of people and material
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Systematically approach people exposed to hazardous materials (HAZMAT)
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Categorise HAZMAT-events according to toxidromes
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Apply poisoning treatment paradigms to HAZMAT-exposed patients, including the use of specific antidotes
Date(s)
Location
Description
- Assess natural and manmade biological risks
- Elaborate the necessary preventive, protective and hygienic measures during outbreak
- Assess the role of vaccination in crisis and post-crisis situations (interdisciplinary role)
- Identify essential antibiotics for emergency or crisis situations and their specificities
Date(s)
Location
Description
- Become familiar with the principle of emergency production and stockpiling of drugs
- Perform a risk analysis in the supply chain field and handle shortages
- Describe the principles of continuity planning of distributors and international mission support
- Recognize falsified drugs and know simple methods to analyse drinking water
- Know the possibilities of emergency production within the pharmacy of the Swiss Armed Forces and the essential elements of a drug production facility
Admission criteria
- holding a master's degree, a university degree or a bachelor's degree in pharmacy or medicine from a Swiss or foreign university, a master's degree or a bachelor's degree from a university of applied sciences (UAS) in nursing care or a diploma from an ambulance school or a title deemed equivalent and
- being able to demonstrate a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience related to the Certificate program
Steering committee
Prof. Stefan Mühlebach (Co-Director), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel; Head of the Therapeutic Products Division, Federal Office for National Economic Supply
PD Dr Nicolas Widmer, Operational Director of the Swiss Centre for Emergency and Disaster Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva; Chief Pharmacist, Pharmacy of Eastern Vaud Hospitals, Rennaz
Dr Olivier Hagon, Deputy Head, Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, HUG; Medical Director at the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit
Mr Michael Flück, MPH, Swiss Armed Forces Deputy Chief Pharmacist, Armed Forces Pharmacy, Ittigen
Scientific committee
Dr Arnaud Dupuis, Head of Clinic; Operational Director of the Specialized Centre for War and Disaster Surgery, HUG
Dr Jean-Marc Krähenbühl, Community pharmacist, Echallens; member of the pharmaSuisse committee
Dr Marc Niquille, Associate Medical Officer, Pre-hospital Emergencies and Resuscitation Unit, HUG; Physician in charge of the Organisation in case of Disaster (ORCA), Geneva
Dr Erik Paus, Pharmacist and Paramedic, Service Protection et Sauvetage Lausanne (SPSL)
PD Dr Meret Ricklin, Head, Biological Risk Management Network, University Emergency Centre, University Hospital Bern; Institute for infectious diseases, University of Bern
PD Dr Mathias Zuercher, Associate Professor for Rescue and Disaster Medicine, University Hospital Basel; Head of the Swiss Center for Rescue, Emergency and Disaster Medicine (SCRED), Basel