Skip to content

A 4-hour, three-session PFA training program adapted from WHO guidelines with lecture, simulation, and role-playing

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

The article describes a Psychological First Aid training program developed from WHO's Psychological First Aid guide for field workers and its facilitators' guide, tailored to local disaster types and culture. It consisted of "three sessions with a total duration of four hours" delivered face-to-face using lectures, video presentations, crisis event simulations, group discussions, role-playing, and scenario-based activities. Session 1 introduces PFA and the BEST model (Behaviour, Emotion, Somatic, Thinking); Session 2 teaches the Look, Listen, Link action principles; Session 3 adds a 30-min earthquake role-play, ethical principles, self-care, and relaxation techniques. Delivery was by five experienced nurses trained in a disaster nursing master's program under a disaster-nursing supervisor.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Trainers with systematic PFA training and clinical nursing experience, guided by a disaster-nursing supervisor
  • Classroom setting supporting group work and role-play scenarios

Constraints

  • Content was tailored to the regional disaster and cultural context (scenarios inspired by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquakes)

Target Learners

  • Registered community nurses without prior PFA training

Learning Goals

  • PFA knowledge (definitions, core and action principles, self-care)
  • PFA skills in observing, listening, linking and terminating assistance
  • Self-care awareness during disaster response

Claims

Examples

-

Key Sources

  • He Yazhou, Ding Yulan, Yan Jiaqin, Xiong Xiaoning, Huang Shan, Li Sijian. (2026). Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Psychological First Aid Training for Community Nurses in China: A Quasi‐Experimental Study on Knowledge and Skills Enhancement. Nursing Open. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70497
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id who-pfa-4h-three-session-training
title A 4-hour, three-session PFA training program adapted from WHO guidelines with lecture, simulation, and role-playing
description The article describes a Psychological First Aid training program developed from WHO's Psychological First Aid guide for field workers and its facilitators' guide, tailored to local disaster types and culture.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-05
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — he-yazhou-2026

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.