ExposureNet – the Global Network Building Evidence About Disaster and Crisis Exposure and Its Health Effect to Improve Healthcare Responses – a WADEM Inspired Initiative

Introduction: At the WADEM 2023 Killarney congress, a new presentation format involving a tabletop-style discussion was offered. One abstract accepted for this format described a study comparing the capture of patient hazard exposure information by health and medical responders at six large international natural hazard disasters. The original objective of submitting the abstract was to present the study as an oral presentation, demonstrate the universal lack of patient hazard-exposure assessment, and advocate for urgent change in the recommended emergency minimum patient dataset. Methods: Round table participants joined a facilitated discussion to identify and share similar challenges from their fields of expertise and collectively explore innovative ideas to solve challenges. The examples and network ideas were collated, and agreement was sought to follow up with participants after the session. Results: Based on feedback from round-table participants, ongoing conference discussions, and post-conference communications with a wider healthcare network, an initiative called ExposureNet was created using resource support of philanthropic actors. Since its launch at the World Congress of Epidemiology in Cape Town in October 2024, hundreds of disaster and emergency workers from across high and low-income country domains have registered their interest in joining the network. The purpose of ExposureNet is to connect and support disaster and emergency practitioners in building the evidence base about patterns of illness/injury from exposure to events and identify interventions, their timeliness, and the quality of care necessary to protect vulnerable people. Conclusion: WADEM’s importance and leadership in advancing disaster health and medicine policy and practice cannot be underestimated. Without the change in conference format, the ExposureNet initiative would not exist. Now, a worldwide community of disaster health and medicine practitioners is supporting each other to build evidence about the relationship between people’s exposure to crises and disaster events and the patterns of injury and illness they cause.