Health Emergencies in Large Populations - The H.E.L.P. Course

The H.E.L.P. course has been re-designed in a two-year process in anticipation of introducing a revised, updated curriculum for implementation from 2019. This has been a consultative revision process with the course partners, led by the ICRC H.E.L.P. course office in Geneva.

The course explores a wide range of topics. After setting the scene, it focuses on aspects of managing interventions such as programme cycle management, field epidemiology in crisis situations, outbreak investigation and control, practical ethics in humanitarian action and, communication and coordination. Moreover, the elements of the health pyramid are examined, i.e. nutrition and livelihood support, water, sanitation and hygiene and, health care services. This is followed by looking at some of the core health issues, including communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial support and mass casualty management. Additionally, the course goes into the legal framework in which humanitarian interventions take place and the imperative of international humanitarian law, humanitarian protection and, multidisciplinary approaches to violence through the examples of violence against health care and sexual violence.

Depending on the regional context and current events, other topics may also be addressed: first aid in the field, management of dead bodies, responses to nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical threats, effects of climate change on crises, specific diseases, remote management and so on.

The content of the H.E.L.P. course is framed by educational and enabling objectives and core issues linked to these. Learning materials for the modules are available and can be used or adapted by the facilitators to bring out their regional and personal perspectives and experiences.

As a guiding framework, we attempt to implement a 30:30:30 learning approach, opening with a 30-minute discovery, problem solving and group work opportunity. The next 30 minutes will be an opportunity to present reflections and decisions made during the group work, building toward key points and a framework for the content area. The final 30 minutes is an opportunity to present theory via content/slides to the audience.

This approach is not a rigid requirement; rather a framework to guide development of the modules. As professional trainers and subject matter experts, the approach should be tailored around the content as presented in the learning objectives and the expected audience, while seeking a balance between exercises, videos, or simulations; group work and general discussion; and lecture.

Below are different learning activities which may be incorporated into the session structure.