BACKGROUND:
Managing respiratory epidemics requires professionals trained in intensive care. There is an urgent need for effective educational tools that deliver learning outcomes and knowledge transfer. This study evaluated a course for professionals at Brazilian Federal University Hospitals (HUFs) to support redeployment to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS:
This qualitative case study involved document analysis and direct evaluation of the 10-hour self-instructional course "COVID-19: Training for Health Professionals." The assessment utilized an Instructional Quality Guide based on Kraiger and Ford's principles(1) and a review of 35 empirical studies(2). The 56-item instrument was structured into three blocks: Themes and Skills; Strategies and Methods; and Resources and Materials. Items received weighted scores based on adherence to instructional principles.

RESULTS:
The Themes and Skills block achieved the highest score (76.19%), covering essential patient care content. The Resources, Technologies, and Materials block also showed satisfactory performance (70.83%), utilizing demonstration videos and flowcharts. Conversely, the Strategies and Methods block recorded the lowest score (12.00%) due to scarce practical activities and low interactivity. Consistent with prior findings on medical MOOCs, which often lack interactive instructional principles (3), our study identified a significant gap in pedagogical strategies despite high content coverage.

CONCLUSIONS:
The evaluation validated the course as a pandemic-response strategy and identified gaps for future improvement in HUFs. The study contributes a replicable assessment instrument for large-scale courses, aiming to better prepare health professionals for future sanitary emergencies and severe respiratory disease epidemics.