Training Needs Assessment for Epidemic Preparedness Competencies in the MENA Region

A 2026 study by Sarah Ibrahim assessed workforce training needs for epidemic and pandemic preparedness across 18 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. The research employed a mixed-methods design, including a Training Needs Assessment with 95 professionals and a Delphi survey with 10 regional experts. The results classified 99 competencies and informed the design of a regional training certificate.

Use Cases

• Designing targeted training curricula based on the 99 validated competencies and their classifications (essential, core, basic).
• Identifying systemic barriers to preparedness based on qualitative findings about resource shortages, weak governance, and limited training access.
• Prioritizing investment in health workforce development based on quantified gaps between perceived importance and ability to perform across five preparedness domains.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a structured methodology involving 95 professionals and 10 experts, providing a multi-perspective validation.
• Findings are directly actionable, having informed the focus and content of a regional training certificate.
• The study provides a specific output of 99 context-specific competencies classified by priority.

Limitations

• The underlying survey data (rows, columns) is not provided, only the summary report in a 417.1 KB PDF.
• The geographic and professional scope, while covering 18 countries, may not be fully representative of all MENA sub-regions.
• Freshness should be verified; the last update date is 2026-04-20, which is a future date.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Sarah Ibrahim.

Collection Method

Two-phase mixed-methods design: a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and a Delphi survey, guided by the ECDC preparedness framework.

Time Range

Study published in 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 05:23:21

Geography

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, covering 18 countries.