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Prehospital Mass-Casualty Triage Training—Written Versus Moulage Scenarios: How Much Do EMS Providers Retain?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2013

Brian L. Risavi ,
Mark A. Terrell ,
William Lee  and
Donald L. Holsten Jr
Brian L. Risavi*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine Residency, UPMC Hamot, Erie Pennsylvania USA
Mark A. Terrell
Affiliation:
Assistant Dean for Faculty Development, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, Pennsylvania USA
William Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine Residency, UPMC Hamot, Erie Pennsylvania USA
Donald L. Holsten Jr
Affiliation:
STAT MedEvac, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
*
Correspondence: Brian L. Risavi, DO UPMC Hamot Department of Emergency Medicine 201 State Street Erie, Pennsylvania 16550 USA E-mail risavib@upmc.eduvoelkerdr@upmc.edu
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Abstract

Introduction

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of written and moulage scenarios using video instruction for mass-casualty triage by evaluating skill retention at six months post intervention.

Methods

Prehospital personnel were instructed in the START method of mass-casualty triage using a video. Moulage and written testing were completed by each participant immediately after instruction and at six months post instruction.

Results

There was a significant decrease in performance between initial and six-month testing, indicating skill decay and loss of retention of triage skills after an extended nonuse period. There were no statistically significant differences between written and moulage testing results at either initial testing or at six months. Prior skill level did not influence test performance on the type of testing conducted or long-term retention of triage skills.

Conclusion

These data confirm the skill deterioration associated with an infrequently used triage method. Further research to more precisely define triage criteria, as well as the ability to apply the criteria in a clinical setting and to rapidly identify patients at risk for morbidity/mortality is needed.

RisaviBL, TerrellMA, LeeW, HolstenDLJr. Prehospital Mass-Casualty Triage Training—Written Versus Moulage Scenarios: How Much Do EMS Providers Retain?. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(3):1-6.

Keywords

disasterEmergency Medical Servicesmass casualtytriage
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , June 2013 , pp. 251 - 256
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2013 

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