Workforce Development

Workforce Development

For Health EDRM

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how all phases of emergencies and disasters require a ready, willing, and able workforce that can save lives, reduce diseases and suffering, and minimize socio-economic loss to affected communities and countries. It also exacerbated health /non-health workforce shortages and revealed a need for intensified workforce development in health emergency preparedness, and for stronger health systems and communities.

WHO defined the health workforce as "all people engaged in actions whose primary intent is to enhance health". Healthcare workers are critical in health emergencies. However, the workforce for health emergency and disaster risk reduction (Health EDRM) includes many actors beyond health systems, such as those who help affected populations, work to reduce hazards and vulnerabilities, and build capacity for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.   Defining the roles and responsibilities of workforce groups for Health EDRM is challenging.

The 2018 WHO Health EDRM expert meeting recognized the importance of workforce development as a priority area for research. Since then, the WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) has actively supported research projects to generate more evidence and knowledge in workforce development for Health EDRM.

This section shares knowledge and resources based on WKC-funded research projects (2021-22 project, 2020-21 project) and the related chapters of WHO guidance on research methods for Health EDRM.

Recent workforce development for health EDRM projects

Experiences in health emergency disaster risk management using a whole of society approach in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Implementations

April 2021 - September 2022

Implementing partners

Lead research institution: Hiroshima University

Other participating research institutions: University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (Japan), The Catholic University of Korea (Republic of Korea), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Japan), Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (Mongolia), Johns Hopkins University (USA), Universita del Piemonte Orientale (Italy), Thailand Ministry of Public Health (Thailand), Japan National Hospital Organization (Japan), Yodogawa Christian Hospital (Japan)

Principal investigator: Dr Odgerel Chimed-Ochir

Location of research

Global

Total budget

US$ 66,500

Background

A whole-of-society approach engages all stakeholders from government, civil society, and academia to families and individuals. Not all countries have given sufficient attention to responding to emergencies and preparing for their economic, humanitarian and societal consequences, particularly in the context of COVID-19.  

Goals

To study countries’ experiences of health emergency disaster risk management using a whole-of-society approach in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Methods

  1. Conduct a systematic review and include a comprehensive search for scientific articles published from January to April 2020 in English, Japanese and Korean. The search will include three electronic databases: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE). It will incorporate relevant grey literature including working reports from governments and other information hubs of international organizations for COVID-19. The search strategy will comply with  nine research questions based on the components of health emergency and disaster risk management.  The systematic review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
  2. Conduct case studies to understand country experiences of health emergency disaster risk management using a whole of society approach in the context of COVID-19 pandemic and identify key challenges and forward-looking strategies. Japan, Korea, USA, Italy, Thailand, Iran and Mongolia have been selected based on our academic network and countries’ specific characteristics in terms of politics, economic activities and notions of successful and unsuccessful management of COVID-19.

Expected outputs from the research

  1. Systematic review findings (one or two manuscripts) will be published in relevant peer-reviewed journals. Seven publications from the case study (one for each country) are envisaged.  
  2. A primer containing the main, concise results of the review will be disseminated to stakeholders of countries via WHO country offices.

Publications

Scoping Review

  1. Chimed-Ochir O, Amarsanaa J, Ghotbi N, Yumiya Y, Kayano R, Van Trimpont F, Murray V, Kubo T. Impact of COVID-19 on Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management System: A Scoping Review of Healthcare Workforce Management in COVID-19. Sustainability. 2023; 15(15):11668.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511668
  2. Amarsanaa J, Batsaikhan O, Jargalsaikhan B, Kubo T, Nader Ghotbi, Ryoma Kayano, Chimed-Ochir O. (2025). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health emergency and disaster risk management systems: a scoping review of mental health support provided to health care workers, Journal of Occupational Health, Volume 67, Issue 1, January-December 2025, uiaf020, https://doi.org/10.1093/joccuh/uiaf020

Case Studies

  1. Park J, Min J, Song J-H, Park MY, Yoo H, Kwon O, Yang M, Kim S, Lee J, Myong J-P. The COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Its Impact on Post-Corona Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management in Republic of Korea. Sustainability. 2023; 15(4):3175.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043175
  2. Ghotbi N. The COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Its Impact on Post-Corona Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management in Iran. Sustainability. 2022; 14(22):14858.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214858
  3. Lamberti-Castronuovo A, Parotto E, Della Corte F, Hubloue I, Ragazzoni L, Valente M. The COVID-19 pandemic response and its impact on post-corona health emergency and disaster risk management in Italy. Front Public Health. 2022 Oct 31;10:1034196. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1034196. PMID: 36388364; PMCID: PMC9659979. 
  4. Ishimaru T, Shimizu S, Teshima A, Ibayashi K, Arikado M, Tsurugi Y, Tateishi S, Okawara M. The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Health Emergency and Disaster in Japan. Sustainability. 2022; 14(23):15686.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315686 
  5. Chen AP, Hansoti B, Hsu EB. The COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Its Impact on Post-Pandemic Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management in the United States. Sustainability. 2022; 14(23):16301.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316301