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Evaluating the Knowledge, Readiness, and Satisfaction Level of Emergency Medical Service Personnel after an Online Chemical Mass Casualty Response Training Program

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2023

Heejun Shin ,
Attila Hertelendy ,
Alexander Hart ,
Fadi Issa ,
Derrick Tin ,
Christina Woodward  and
Gregory Ciottone
Heejun Shin
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Attila Hertelendy
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University, Miami, USA
Alexander Hart
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, USA
Fadi Issa
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Derrick Tin
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Christina Woodward
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Gregory Ciottone
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
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Abstract

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Introduction:

Compared to trauma-based injuries, chemical injuries can inflict widespread and persistent injuries to exposed victims. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are vulnerable to chemical injuries. Specialized training is required, including zone setup, personal protective equipment (PPE), decontamination, and antidote use, beyond simple advanced trauma life support. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the educational effectiveness of the online chemical-mass casualty incident response education module (C-MCIREM) for EMS personnel.

Method:

This study is a retrospective pre-and post-test comparison. Subjects were EMS personnel who enrolled in the C-MCIREM program at the EMS Korea online conference between August 27, 2021 and September 5, 2021. Subjects provided demographic data and completed pre-course and post-course knowledge tests and self-assessments of readiness, as well as a satisfaction survey after the course. For readiness and satisfaction surveys, an 11-point Likert scale was used. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used to compare the two samples.

Results:

A total of 322 respondents were enrolled. Two-hundred (62.1%) responded that they were most motivated to take the course because of curiosity about the subject. The median pre-course knowledge score was 57/100 (47, 66) and the post-knowledge score was 80/100 (66, 91) (p<0.001). Participants stated they felt their readiness to provide triage, treatment, transport, decontamination, to select correct antidotes, and to use correct PPE (all p<0.001) increased. 90.4% stated they were satisfied with the course. Participants were overall satisfied with the use of the online format (7.71/10 SD 2.05), and were willing to recommend the training to other EMS providers (7.63/10 SD 2.1).

Conclusion:

The online C-MCIREM program showed high satisfaction with a significant increase in knowledge and self-assessed readiness to respond to a chemical mass casualty incident.

Type
Poster Presentations
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 38 , Supplement S1: 22nd Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine , May 2023 , pp. s170 - s171
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine