An experimental predeployment training program improves self-reported patient treatment confidence and preparedness of Army combat medics.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and assess impact of a focused review of International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) and combat casualty care with hands-on procedure training for U.S. Army medics deploying to Iraq.

METHODS: The setting was a U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Camp Eagle, Iraq. Investigators developed and implemented a command-approved prospective educational intervention with a post hoc survey. Subjects completed a three-day course with simulator and live-tissue procedure laboratories. At deployment's end, medics were surveyed for experience, confidence, and preparedness in treating various casualty severity levels. Investigators used two-tailed t-test with unequal variance for continuous data and chi-square for categorical data.

RESULTS: Twenty-nine medics deployed. Eight completed the experimental program. Twenty-one of 25 (84%) available medics completed the survey including six of the eight (75%) experimental medics. The experimental group reported significantly greater levels of preparedness and confidence treating "minimal," "delayed," and "immediate" casualties at arrival in Iraq. These differences dissipated progressively over the time course of the deployment.

CONCLUSIONS: This experimental program increased combat medic confidence and perceived level of preparedness in treating several patient severity levels. Further research is warranted to determine if the experimental intervention objectively improves patient care quality and translates into lives saved early in deployment.