Training laypersons and hospital personnel in basic resuscitation techniques: an approach to impact the global trauma burden in Mozambique.

INTRODUCTION: Over half of prehospital deaths in low-income countries are the result of airway compromise, respiratory failure, or uncontrolled hemorrhage; all three conditions can be addressed using simple first-aid measures. For both hospital personnel and laypersons, a basic trauma resuscitation training in modified ABCD (airway, breathing, circulation, disability) techniques can be easily learned and applied to increase the number of first responders in Mozambique, a resource-challenged country.
METHODS: A trauma training session was administered to 100 people in Mozambique: half were hospital personnel from 7 district medical centers and the other half were selected laypersons. This session included a pre-test, intervention, and post-test to evaluate and demonstrate first response skills.
RESULTS: Eighty-eight people completed both the pre- and post-tests. Following the education intervention, both groups demonstrated an improvement in test scores. Hospital personnel had a mean post-test score of 60% (SD = 17, N = 43) and community laypeople had a mean score of 51% (SD = 16, N = 45). A t test for equal variances demonstrated significant difference between the post-intervention scores for the two groups (p = 0.01). All 100 participants were able to open an airway, externally control hemorrhage, and transport a patient with appropriate precautions.
CONCLUSION: The trauma training session served as new information that improved knowledge as well as skills for both groups, and increased the number of capable responders in Mozambique. This study supports WHO recommendations to utilize the strengths of a developing nation-population-as the first step in establishing an organized trauma triage system.