Brief learning module effective in teaching hemorrhage control

Editor's Note

An 8-minute module can be deployed in clinical and nonclinical settings to train a large workforce in hemorrhage control, this study finds.

In response to active shooter and mass casualty incidents, researchers at UnityPoint Health, Des Moines, Iowa, wanted to see if they could take important information from the 2 ½-hour Bleeding Control course from the American College of Surgeons and National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians and make it available to a wider population.

The 8-minute module was used to train 4,845 employees at UnityPoint in hemorrhage control techniques. Participants were administered a pretest and posttest to gauge effectiveness of the training.

A total of 57% of the questions on the pretest were answered correctly, and 98% were answered correctly on the posttest.

Uncontrolled hemorrhage is the leading cause of potentially preventable traumatic death. Bleeding victims must receive immediate medical attention to save lives, and the first opportunity to control bleeding after trauma often comes from bystanders. Educating the general public is important for improving outcomes for hemorrhaging victims, and it is imperative for all people, including those with no clinical training, to have the knowledge to respond until trained medical specialists arrive.