European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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The Sendai Framework advocates the importance of training in disaster medicine as a way to improve health system resilience. In Italy, despite the official recognition of disaster medicine as a mandatory discipline in the standard curriculum, most students are never exposed to its basic concepts. DisasterSISM is a nationwide educational program in disaster medicine developed in 2008. Given the scarcity of experienced instructors, in 2013, the course adopted a peer-assisted learning (PAL) approach to correct the omission identified in the national curriculum. The new approach involved a training of trainers (ToT) and a basic course organized and delivered by certified student teachers. ⋯ By presenting this nationwide program and its outcomes, the authors hope to strengthen the case for including disaster medicine education in the standard medical curriculum. Because the course relies on medical students and PAL, the authors trust that it could be adapted to other countries worldwide.